There is huge value in retailers’ 1st party data, but it’s not the solution to everything.

We’ve all been hearing a lot of noise in the industry lately about the value of retailers’ first party data and it’s no surprise why given the driving factors below:

• Retailer’s first party data is now highly sought after, thanks to the demise of the third-party cookie, which Google is phasing out by the end of 2024. As Google Chrome controls around 60% of the global web browser market share, this is a huge source of data loss for brands, thus making retailers first party data more valuable than ever.

• Secondly, the evolution of technology has led to considerable changes in the retail media industry over the past few years, meaning that retailers can now activate their first party data to reach and identify customers at any point of the shopper journey.

The results in better targeted, more personalised campaigns, designed to reach the right customers at the right time, leading to higher chances of conversion and therefore better business results for both brands and retailers.

The reality is that, on average, 50% of channels that use first party targeting don’t pay out for the brand.

Rather than it being used as a one-size-fits-all solution, agencies and brands need to identify the right products, categories, shopper needs and use cases to activate this powerful data set.

Generally speaking, using first party data work best when:

• There is already a strong budget to start with and the ability to activate across several channels to create a truly connected, omnichannel shopper experience.

• There is a range of objectives, from awareness to consideration to conversion.

• The product has a high price point, meaning less needs to be sold to see an ROI.

• The target audience is niche and makes up a small percentage of the total UK, meaning there is a benefit from having less wastage by using more accurate targeting.

In summary, first party data targeting requires a precision-planning approach and by understanding what needs to be achieved, it can be used far more effectively.

Getting the above considerations wrong means that brands risk throwing money away, but getting it right means hugely boosting ROI by delivering highly personalised and targeted campaigns to shoppers.

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