Customer Profiles

Customer Profiles in ODP

Optimizely Data Platform creates comprehensive customer profiles that provide a unified view of each individual user's journey across all touchpoints. These profiles aggregate behavioral data, preferences, and interactions to create a complete picture of your customers.

Privacy and Access Control

PII User Group Restrictions

Customer profile data contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and is therefore subject to strict access controls within ODP:

• Restricted Access: Only colleagues who are members of the PII User Group can view detailed customer profile information
• Role-Based Security: This ensures compliance with privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and internal data governance policies
• Audit Trail: All access to customer profiles is logged for compliance and security purposes
• Data Protection: Non-PII users can still work with aggregated data and segments without seeing individual customer details

Setting Up PII Access

To grant PII access to team members:

1. Navigate to User Management in Optimizely Identity
2. Add users to the "PII User Group"
3. Users will then be able to view individual customer profiles and PII data
4. Regular audits should be conducted to ensure only authorized personnel maintain this access

What's Included in Customer Profiles

Event History

Customer profiles contain a comprehensive timeline of all tracked events for each user:

Website Behavior

• Page Views: Every page visited, time spent, and navigation patterns
• Product Views: Detailed product interaction history with timestamps
• Search Queries: What customers are looking for and search behavior patterns
• Content Engagement: Time spent reading articles, video plays, downloads

E-commerce Activities

• Add to Cart Events: Products added, quantities, and abandonment patterns
• Purchase History: Complete transaction details, order values, and frequency
• Wishlist Activities: Saved products and wish list management
• Review and Rating Events: Product feedback and engagement with reviews

Campaign Interactions

• Email Engagement: Opens, clicks, forwards, and unsubscribes
• Form Submissions: Newsletter signups, contact forms, and lead capture
• Campaign Responses: Click-through rates and conversion tracking
• Social Media Interactions: Engagement from connected social platforms

Customer Attributes

Profiles also include both explicit and inferred customer data:

Demographic Information

• Name, email address, phone number
• Location data (country, region, city)
• Age, gender, and other demographic details
• Communication preferences and opt-in status

Behavioral Attributes

• Purchase frequency and average order value
• Product category preferences
• Seasonal shopping patterns
• Device and channel preferences

Segment Membership

Customer profiles display real-time segment membership information:

Dynamic Segments

• Real-Time Updates: Segments update automatically as customer behavior changes
• Multiple Membership: Customers can belong to multiple segments simultaneously
• Historical Tracking: View when customers entered or exited specific segments
• Trigger Events: See which events caused segment membership changes

Common Segment Examples

• High-Value Customers: Based on purchase history and engagement
• At-Risk Customers: Identified through declining engagement patterns
• Product Enthusiasts: Segmented by specific product category interests
• Geographic Segments: Based on location and regional preferences
• Lifecycle Stages: New customers, repeat buyers, VIP customers

List Membership

Profiles show all marketing lists and audiences the customer belongs to:

Email Lists

• Newsletter Subscriptions: Which newsletters they're subscribed to
• Product Updates: Specific product or category notification lists
• Promotional Lists: Discount and sale notification preferences
• Event Invitations: Webinar, workshop, and event communication lists

Campaign Audiences

• Retargeting Lists: Advertising audience membership
• A/B Test Groups: Which experimental groups they're part of
• Personalization Audiences: Content personalization group membership
• Suppression Lists: Lists for customers who should be excluded from certain campaigns

Profile Data Visualization

Timeline View

The customer profile presents a chronological timeline of all interactions:

• Event Timestamps: Exact dates and times for every interaction
• Event Details: Full context for each action taken
• Cross-Channel Journey: Unified view across web, email, mobile, and other channels
• Attribution Data: Source tracking for how customers discovered your brand

Engagement Scoring

ODP automatically calculates engagement scores based on:

• Recency: How recently the customer interacted
• Frequency: How often they engage with your brand
• Monetary Value: Their spending patterns and order values
• Content Preference: Types of content and products they engage with most

Using Customer Profiles for Personalization

Real-Time Personalization

• Dynamic Content: Automatically personalize website content based on profile data
• Product Recommendations: Show relevant products based on past behavior
• Email Personalization: Customize email content using profile insights
• Campaign Targeting: Create highly targeted campaigns using profile data

Predictive Analytics

Customer profiles enable predictive modeling:

• Churn Prediction: Identify customers at risk of leaving
• Lifetime Value Modeling: Predict future customer worth
• Next Best Action: Recommend optimal next steps for each customer
• Purchase Propensity: Identify likelihood to buy specific products

Privacy and Compliance Features

Data Rights Management

• Right to Access: Customers can request their complete profile data
• Right to Deletion: Profiles can be permanently deleted upon request
• Data Portability: Export customer data in standard formats
• Consent Management: Track and respect privacy preferences

Retention Policies

• Automatic Data Purging: Remove old data based on retention policies
• Anonymization Options: Convert profiles to anonymous data for analytics
• Compliance Reporting: Generate reports for regulatory requirements
• Data Minimization: Only collect and store necessary customer data

Best Practices for Customer Profiles

Data Quality

1. Regular Data Cleansing: Remove duplicate or outdated information
2. Validation Rules: Ensure data accuracy at collection points
3. Progressive Profiling: Gradually build complete profiles over time
4. Cross-Device Identity: Link customer interactions across multiple devices

Privacy Management

1. Least Privilege Access: Only grant PII access to users who need it
2. Regular Access Audits: Review who has access to customer profiles
3. Training and Awareness: Educate team members on privacy requirements
4. Incident Response: Have procedures for handling data breaches or issues

Actionable Insights

1. Regular Profile Reviews: Analyze customer profiles for business insights
2. Segmentation Optimization: Use profile data to refine audience segments
3. Campaign Performance: Measure how profile-based targeting improves results
4. Customer Journey Mapping: Use profiles to understand and optimize customer paths

Customer profiles in ODP provide the foundation for understanding your customers deeply while maintaining strict privacy and security standards. By leveraging comprehensive event history, segment membership, and list data, you can create highly personalized experiences that drive engagement and conversion while respecting customer privacy preferences.