DMA HK: Marketer Renee Chan on enhancing customer journey with first-party data

While businesses in Hong Kong ramping up their technology investment such as artificial intelligence (AI), they face challenges around transparency and lack of customer data. 

In fact, only 16% of brands strongly agree that they have the data they need to understand their customers, and just 19% of businesses strongly agree they have a comprehensive profile of their customers, according to a Twilio study. 

Additionally, 78% of brands in Hong Kong rely most heavily on third-party data in the absence of their own first-party data compared to other regions. This could potentially hamper the brand’s competitiveness in the market as marketers are moving into a cookieless era. 

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Renee Chan, customer experience and marketing director (Pizza Hut and PHD), Jardine Restaurant Group, said accuracy and quality of data collected is one of the challenges her team faces when crafting a comprehensive omnichannel approach. 

This includes the limitation of data collected from current customers or those opting in and willing to engage with the business, she said. “Managing big data volume requirements with the right infrastructure is becoming a challenge amidst data privacy and cybersecurity considerations,” she added. 

Furthermore, the potential of amplifying quantitative data insights is also an obstacle as customers may be influenced by various factors, such as emotion, experiences with staff interactions or online influencers, and the biases from control groups or occasional measurement errors, she added. “Machine learning takes time to optimise the performance, along with changes in external macro factors as well.” 

How to collect first-party data effectively

In terms of collecting first-party data, Chan said the first step would be the implementation of online tracking tools and analytics so that marketers can identify the customer source in eCommerce based on factors such as time spent, activity across the app and order history. 

Meanwhile, social media is a great tool to leverage. “For instance, user-generated content (UGC) and chatbots motivate customers to follow Pizza Hut because of menu innovation and free trials.” 

Brands should also conduct customer surveys online regularly to enhance their customer experience, she added. “These surveys cover feedback on the dine-in experience and food quality, and the attractiveness of promotions. We reward our customers who provide feedback with loyalty points or discount coupons.”  

“These digital strategies not only significantly impact data collection, but also drive business growth, enhance digital convenience, and reduce manual errors and inefficiencies.  Ultimately, creating a long-term customer experience in a seamless digital journey,” she added.  

How can marketers leverage first-party data to enhance customer experience? 

With the advancement in technologies, customer expectations are rising, especially within the quick commerce industry. To uplift customer satisfaction, Chan suggested brands should: 

• Leverage digital technology to enable more specialised and customised customer service interactions.   

"For example, we renovated the app last year, then improved the queuing from traditional ticket printing to scan-to-queue, plus BYOD (bring-your-own-device) experience integrated with Hut Rewards membership.  Customers simply need to open the app and scan, from waiting to get a table, browsing the menu, placing an order, ordering add-ons, redeeming member points and using coupons.  This journey helps us to improve our digital sales mix," she said.

• Analyse transactions collected by digital data 

For Pizza Hut, it can identify who their VIPs are with the highest spending; or lapsed customers who need to be re-engaged, she said. "We then revisit, restructure, and provide incentives in automated journeys for referral, welcome, active engagement, and retention amongst others, under Hut Rewards loyalty scheme to enhance the customer’s lifetime value.  All journeys are customised based on the customers’ life cycle."

• Use digital omnichannel solutions to build a data ecosystem business in CDP.   

For instance, paid media in Google and Meta, in conjunction with owned media through eDMs and app push messaging.  The digital media strategy aims to maintain brand top-of-mind awareness and improve conversions for better return on advertising spend. 

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