,An email address – or Digital ID – is the most widely-used form digital verification, and is the centerpiece of who people are online… where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and even what they like. Learn how an email-first approach centered around users’ Digital IDs improves personalization, deliverability, and targeting.

Today’s customers are more likely to respond to personalized interactions with brands when and where they are most engaged. That’s no secret – but it’s up to marketers to deliver. This is made possible by using customers’ digital ID as the core of who they are, where they’ve been, and where they might go.
digital id

Delivering on the promise of omnichannel is not simple – in fact it can be incredibly overwhelming. But what if you could build a successful omnichannel strategy around a marketing channel you’re likely already using?

What if your path to omnichannel excellence could begin with email? It can, and should.

But isn’t email dead – a relic of the past?

Absolutely not. Quite the contrary, actually; email remains the most successful digital avenue for ROI. In fact, the number of email users worldwide is forecasted to rise to 2.9 billion by 2019, and, according to Pew Research, 92% of online adults use email, with 61% using it on an average day.

It’s true that there are several paths to omnichannel marketing excellence. Some companies choose to take on the alignment and optimization of all channels at once, but for others it makes sense to take one step at a time. If the latter approach seems like a better fit for you, consider starting with email.

Why? There are several reasons, including the fact that a large portion of your marketing strategy is likely already founded in email, but mostly because this one channel provides access to a widely used unique identifier for each of your customers, around which you’d be wise to base your omnichannel strategy: the digital ID.

What is a Digital ID?

A digital ID is simply a customer’s email address, and it is one of the most widely used forms of customer verification. Consider the number of times customers provide an email address when making a purchase, both online and within a brick-and-mortar store. Online shoppers are required to provide email addresses to make their purchases, and marketers can use this unique identifier to track online behavior across all channels and begin predicting future actions, preferences, and purchases.

digital id

Why is the Digital ID Important?

1. Improved Personalization

More than 73% of customers today are looking for some level of personalization from the brands with whom they regularly interact.

By building unified profiles around each customer’s digital ID, marketers can work towards delivering unique messages to each customer, at the best time. No matter what channel a customer uses, or when they choose to interact with a brand, marketers can easily segment and target that individual in a personalized and relevant way.

2. Minimizing Lost Revenue Due to Failed Delivery

The most personalized email design and content means nothing if it isn’t hitting the intended inbox. If your messages aren’t making it to your recipients, you’re missing out on significant revenue opportunities.

Internet service providers (ISPs) each have unique ways of protecting their customers from spam, their own set of bounce codes and policies which can result in up to 20% of emails never reaching the intended inbox. Of the 12,000 emails brands send out each month, around 2,400 never reach the intended recipient, eliminating any chance of action.

Being able to track the user’s ISP via digital ID can help to maximize the chances of that email hitting the right inbox every time, thus improving the revenue generated via email.

3. Increased Targeting

When marketers send out an email blast, the majority of intended recipients never see it, even with above-average open rates between 20 – 30%. What can marketers do to bridge that gap?

Because digital IDs are used for so much more than sending and receiving emails, marketers can use them to communicate with unresponsive individuals across other channels where they may be more receptive.

While an interaction via social media may ultimately drive the sale, it was ultimately the email data that provided the opportunity to connect.

All of the data collected in an individual’s digital ID helps to build their unified profile, thus allowing for increasingly more relevant and effective interactions over time.

Final Thoughts

While not all omnichannel marketing excellence begins with email, it’s a smart first step for many companies. It’s all about starting with the digital ID as the unique identifier, building information up around it as data is accumulated over time, then using that information to deliver consistent and personalized brand interactions across multiple channels.

Related Articles:

To learn more about this approach and how the entire process works, get the latest white paper: Omnichannel Marketing Excellence Starts with Email First.