Adobe Real-time CDP for retail: Overview, benefits & use cases

A growing or established retail and consumer goods brand leverages several mediums such as a website, app, social store, and offline channels to serve its customers. With the rampant competition in the industry, marketing leaders are obliged to enhance the customer experience of the brands they serve and accomplish their associated KPIs.

As an integrated eCommerce system is leveraged, data is scattered across different sources and departments. With a significant budget spent on marketing, there is a desire to prevent overexposure and avoid annoying customers with options they wouldn't be interested in.

Currently, marketing leaders face the following challenges:

• Data dispersed across multiple sources, making it even tedious for marketing team to collect all that data from different departments 
• Time-sensitive campaigns not yielding enough ROI as there is no single view of customer 
• Even if the team strategizes to collect and unify all this data, it will take them significant amount of time and by the time this task is accomplished, it will become redundant for the marketing teams and no longer fit for use
• Without a holistic view of customers across all touchpoints, personalization of experiences cannot be achieved

The only way to solve these challenges and stay competitive is by creating a single view of customers and managing this data at scale. And this is exactly where Adobe Real-time CDP (Customer Data Platform) can help. 

With Adobe RT-CDP, marketing leaders can: 

• Collect data across different platforms and make it available for marketing activities, all in real-time
• Create a 360-degree view of customers, regardless of where data originates
• Run targeted marketing campaigns and deliver hyper-personalized experiences across touchpoints. 
  

Let’s discuss this in more detail below. 

Adobe Real-time CDP: An overview

Built on Adobe Experience Cloud, Real-time Customer Data Platform (RT-CDP) collects data from known and anonymous sources to create customer profiles that can be employed by marketers to learn about their customers’ behavior, preferences, interests, likes/dislikes, etc. and deliver hyper-personalized experiences across all touchpoints. 

It includes tools for data governance, identity management, advanced segmentation, and data science, all of which assist in building customer profiles, define audiences, and gain actionable insights while complying with all data privacy policies.

Natively integrated with other Adobe Experience Cloud products, enterprises can build customer profiles and activate them across Adobe Experience Manager, Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and more; delivering engaging experiences across channels, be it an offline store, email, paid media, in-app personalization, connected devices, customer support, etc. 

The following is how Adobe RT-CDP helps:

• Collecting data:  Consider all the different sources of customer information—such as websites, mobile apps, emails, social media, and in-store visits. Adobe Real-Time CDP gathers all this information onto a centralized platform.

• Organizing data: Once the data is collected, Adobe RT-CDP organizes it, merging activities that correspond to a single customer, throwing away duplicates. 
• Creating customer profiles: Adobe RT-CDP creates a unified profile of each customer after collecting and merging all known and unknown data from across sources. Regardless of where and in which system the data about a customer is stored, RT-CDP brings it all together under a centralized dashboard. 
• Real-time updates: As and when new data about a customer becomes available, RT-CDP keeps updating the customer’s profile. From every click, item wishlisted, added to cart, products browsed, and the channel used, RT-CDP merges all this new data in real-time. This means marketers leverage all the current information about a customer resulting in personalized experiences. 

• Activating the data across platforms: All the data can be easily activated across Adobe Experience Cloud products to deliver personalization across the entire customer journey. For example, sending personalized emails of products they wishlisted, recommending products they might like based on their recent purchase, or creating targeted ads that are more likely to interest them.

Adobe Real-time CDP available editions

Currently, Adobe has made three editions available, all in Prime and Ultimate packages. 

#1: Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform - Business-to-Consumer (B2C) edition

This edition is purpose-built for B2C marketers to unify, activate, and govern all B2C customer data across sources, systems, and channels, while delivering personalized customer experiences. 

#2: Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform - Business-to-Business (B2B) edition

This edition is purpose-built for B2B marketers to unify, activate, and govern all lead and account data across channels and systems, while delivering more targeted and contextual experiences. Adobe RT-CDP creates cohesive customer profiles of all leads and accounts; enrich, segment, and export this cross-source data; leverage data governance tools available at every step of the centralizing process to ensure strict compliance.

#3: Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform - Business-to-Person (B2P) edition

This edition empowers marketers to unify, activate, and govern B2C and B2B customer data via a single CDP, targeting the same person across both B2C and B2B business lines, delivering a seamless experience at all times. Ideal for businesses that operate for B2C and B2B business lines and wish to deliver personalized experiences to the same customer across.

To know more about Adobe RT-CDP editions, contact our experts here. 

How does Adobe RT-CDP work?

Let’s understand this with an example. 

Suppose, a visitor visits an eCommerce store for the first time. As they navigate through the store, they perform actions, this data is captured in real-time and sent to the report suite in Adobe Analytics and also to the Adobe Experience Platform. As more data is collected, it results in a single view of the customer. 

It is highly possible that they are repeat customers browsing from a new device. It is imperative that the messaging, offerings, and recommendations are personalized for them. This should also happen in real-time for new visitors as more and more data is collected about them. 

Now suppose, they added products to their cart and mid-session, they log in. A visitor, which up until now was being identified as new or anonymous, is now known to RT-CDP, which in turn, merges two identities - the anonymous browsing data and the existing data with the associated account. 

As the customers’ journey continues, a clearer picture emerges, with all the data being sent to Adobe Analytics and Adobe Experience Platform. With this holistic customer view, RT-CDP empowers marketers to use this data to personalize their messaging across the web, in-app, social store, email, connected devices, etc. 

Marketers can go a step ahead in welcoming the customer with personalized messaging on the homepage, curating a product catalog that suits their interests, all of which is dynamically delivered. All this content is personalized, thanks to Adobe Sensei in-built in Adobe Target that takes into account the customer’s previous purchases. 

This level of hyper-personalization makes decision making easy for the customer, closing sales more often and of high-volume, boosting conversion rates, and brand loyalty. 

This is a high-level idea of what merchants can achieve with Adobe Real-time CDP. 

Adobe Real-time CDP benefits for the retail industry 

Although Adobe RT-CDP holds immense potential for all industrial verticals, here we would talk about its benefits for the retail and consumer goods industry. eCommerce brands can leverage Adobe Real-time CDP  to deliver personalized product recommendations, abandoned cart reminders, and targeted offers. It becomes even more powerful when used with an Adobe Commerce store. 

#1: Run targeted marketing campaigns

Adobe RT-CDP empowers merchants to deep dive into each customer’s preferences, shopping behavior, past purchases; every click or interaction they have had with the website. Once marketers have all these insights handy, marketers can create personalized marketing campaigns, tailoring product recommendations and offers across channels that will result in closed sales.

#2: Deliver consistent omnichannel experience

Once the data is unified, it can be activated across multiple touchpoints both online and offline. This results in a seamless and consistent experience across all channels, whether a customer shops in-store, online, via app, on a social store, via an email, or places an order via customer support. 

#3: Real-time updates

As Adobe RT-CDP updates customer profiles in real-time, it empowers marketers to quickly respond to changes in customer behavior and market trends. For example, if a customer abandons their cart, a personalized follow-up email can be immediately triggered with a discount offer on all their favorite products, encouraging purchase.

#4: Enhanced decision-making

As marketing leaders get access to up-to-date and accurate customer insights, it results in informed decision-making about marketing campaigns, inventory, promotional offers, and customer service strategies. Overall, marketers can segment their audiences based on their unique attributes and run targeted campaigns. 

#5: Gain a unified customer view

By bringing together data across multiple sources to form a single customer view, Adobe RT-CDP breaks down data silos that exist across departments (marketing, sales & customer service) so that all teams access the same information. This leads to better coordination and efficiency, especially between cross-department teams. 

#6: Automate processes across the customer journey 

Several processes throughout the customer journey such as audience segmentation, triggering personalized messages, etc. can be easily automated. Adobe RT-CDP assists with workflow automation, saving a lot of time and resources while delivering customer engagement timel. 

#7: Tailored rewards and loyalty programs

Using the detailed customer profiles, merchants can design and implement loyalty programs or rewards based on each customer’s past buying habits and tailored to their individual preferences and shopping behavior. Such loyalty programs improve customer retention, reducing churn and enhancing long-term value. 

#8: Personalized support and proactive assistance

Customer service representatives can access detailed customer profiles to offer personalized assistance, making interactions more efficient and satisfactory for shoppers. With real-time insights into customer behavior and preferences, customer service teams can provide proactive support, addressing issues before they escalate, and ensuring a positive customer experience.

#9: Improved customer engagement 

By understanding customers' browsing and purchasing habits, marketers can target them with specific messages or offers that are more likely to resonate. Retailers can engage customers with relevant and timely communications, whether it's through personalized emails, SMS, or push notifications. This relevance helps to build stronger customer relationships and increase loyalty.

How to implement Adobe Real-time CDP?

Implementing Adobe RT-CDP requires a few simple steps. This is a brief walkthrough of how to implement the tool, the technical steps are way more diverse and require certified experts’ assistance. Consult with our Adobe RT-CDP experts to implement the solution for your business. 

#1: Define business objectives

Purpose: Clarify what is to be achieved with Adobe RT-CDP.

• Identify key goals: Determine the specific outcomes aiming for, such as increasing customer engagement, improving marketing ROI, enhancing customer satisfaction, or driving sales growth.
• Use cases: Define the primary use cases that will help in achieving these objectives. For example, RT-CDP can be implemented for personalized marketing campaigns, improving customer support, or optimizing inventory management.
• Measurable targets: Establish clear, measurable targets for each objective. This could be increasing the average order value, reducing cart abandonment rates, or improving email open rates.

#2: Identify data sources

Purpose: Select the data sources that will feed information into the RT-CDP.

• Internal sources: Identify all internal data sources like website, mobile app, CRM system, email marketing platform, and point-of-sale systems.
• External sources: Consider any third-party data sources that can enrich customer profiles, such as social media platforms, customer surveys, and demographic databases.
• Data availability: Ensure the access to necessary data from these sources and that the data is accurate and up-to-date.

#3: Define data model

Purpose: Create a structure for organizing the collected data.

• Customer attributes: Determine the key attributes that need to be captured for each customer. This might include personal details (name, email), preferences, and behavioral data (purchase history, browsing activity).
• Events: Define the significant events that need to be tracked, such as website visits, purchases, cart abandonments, and email interactions.
• Interactions: Outline the types of interactions that will be recorded, such as customer service inquiries, social media engagements, and loyalty program activities.
• Unified view: Develop a unified customer profile that combines all these elements, providing a comprehensive view of each customer.

#4: Configure data ingestion

Purpose: Set up processes to collect data from chosen sources into the RT-CDP.

• APIs: Use Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to connect directly to data sources and stream data into the RT-CDP in real-time.
• Batch processing: Schedule regular batch uploads for data sources that do not support real-time streaming. This involves collecting data periodically and sending it in bulk to the RT-CDP.
• Real-time streaming: Implement real-time streaming to ensure that data is continuously updated as events occur, providing the most current information possible.

#5: Configure data unification

Purpose: Link data from different sources to create a single, comprehensive customer profile.

• Identity resolution: Use algorithms to match and merge records from different data sources that belong to the same customer. This might involve matching email addresses, phone numbers, or other unique identifiers.
• Profile stitching: Combine fragmented data into a single profile. For instance, link online browsing behavior with offline purchase history to get a complete picture of customer activity.
• Data cleansing: Ensure that the data is clean, deduplicated, and standardized to maintain accuracy and reliability in the unified profiles.

#6: Configure data activation

Purpose: Use the unified customer data to drive actions across various channels.

• Personalized campaigns: Set up systems to use customer data for creating highly personalized marketing campaigns. This might include targeted emails, personalized website content, and tailored advertisements.
• Cross-channel engagement: Ensure that customer data is available across all engagement platforms. This allows for consistent and personalized interactions whether the customer is on the website, mobile app, in-store, or interacting with customer support.
• Analytics and reporting: Leverage the unified customer data to gain insights through analytics and reporting, helping to refine strategies and improve customer interactions continuously.

Adobe Real-time CDP use cases for the retail industry

The following are some use cases of Adobe Real-time Customer Data platform for the retail and eCommerce industry.

#1: Personalized product recommendations 

As Adobe RT-CDP keeps learning about the shopper, they send this data to the Adobe Experience Platform, where Adobe Sensei-powered personalization and triggered workflows personalize content and recommendations based on their past purchases, browning history, most recently viewed items, and preferences. Such hyper-personalization helps shoppers find their preferred items quickly, increases conversions, and delivers a more delightful experience. 

#2: Abandoned cart reminders

Suppose a shopper gets distracted and even after adding products to the cart, they leave the site. Adobe RT-CDP  can use all the aggregated data in the Adobe Experience Platform to send an email reminder with special offers on the products they added to the cart or send a message with a discount coupon to encourage sale. Such personalized abandoned cart reminders will help bring the shopper back to the site and close the purchase. 

#3: Tailor loyalty offers

Merchants can also employ Adobe Real-time CDP to structure loyalty offers tailored to customers who purchase frequently from the brand. They can leverage RT-CDP to learn their interests and most liked products, make aware of special discounts and offers based on their tier of loyalty, and offer them exciting deals for when they visit in-store. 

#4: Run marketing campaigns in real-time

 As RT-CDP updates customer profiles in real-time, marketers can leverage these details to personalize their marketing campaigns, deliver targeted content and offers based on their preferences and past buying behavior. Marketers can also run targeted ads for customers who have shown interest in some products but haven’t purchased it yet. Overall, it improves the ROI of marketing efforts and also results in dynamic customer experiences across touchpoints and channels. 

#5: Inventory management optimization

Adobe RT-CDP can also help in optimizing inventories to predict demand and adjust inventory levels. By analyzing purchase patterns and customer behavior for specific products, RT-CDP assists with demand forecasting. Suppose a customer interacts frequently with a product, however, it is currently out of stock. Once the product returns in stock, personalized stock alerts can be sent via phone, email, or customer support as soon as the customer visits the website. 

#6: Enhanced customer support

Adobe RT-CDP equips customer service reps with detailed customer profiles so that they can offer personalized assistance and resolve issues faster. As soon as a shopper connects with a service rep, they can view their entire profile - past behavior, any ongoing issue, past interactions, etc. to identify and effectively address potential issues before they escalate. Such proactive support improves customer satisfaction and retention. 

Bring real-life experiences to life with Adobe RT-CDP

For marketing leaders, the only goal is to deliver the right experiences to the right customer at the right time and across the right channel. Adobe RT-CDP along with its marketer-friendly interface enhances  engagement and profitability, provides a holistic view of every customer, and hyper-personalized experiences. By integrating data across sources, creating singular profiles, capturing behaviors, and governing privacy, Adobe Real-time CDP delivers one-on-one personalized experiences across all destinations. 

Since the launch of Adobe RT-CDP, Ranosys have been assisting several global retail and consumer goods brands in implementing it and training their teams on how to personalize customer experiences to the core. Consult with Ranosys to underscore the direct benefits of Adobe RT-CDP for your business today.