Why “Big Data” Fails Without “Data Onboarding”

Without “data onboarding,” your efforts and all the buzz around big data are largely worthless.

According to a recent article on AdAge, “data onboarding, sometimes referred to as data on-ramping, is the transfer of data gathered offline to the digital realm.”

This offline-to-online data process is known as “onboarding” is used to match offline databases from in-store transactions or customer-service call interactions to online data. Companies embracing and effectively using customer data from personal interactions as well as online lead sources are better marketing to current customers, creating look-alike models for better results in ad targeting, and more easily measuring the effectiveness of online campaigns on in-store sales.

Think about it. There is great power in knowing exactly what “John Smith” asked when he called your customer service line, what product he was considering when he visited your retail location or dealership coupled with which articles he’s reading on your blog and how often he visits product pages on your website.

Data onboarding efforts, most commonly heard of through companies like LiveRamp and Datalogix, give the opportunity to better understand customer buying behavior and help them throughout their decision making process, making it more likely for them to end up buying from you.

Relying purely on online activity or primarily focusing on in store interactions paints an incomplete and inaccurate picture. It’s time to really consider a strategy around “big data” that tells and actionable story. It’s time to close the loop.