Mobile App Permissions: The Game That is Yours to Lose (Part 2)
Stacking the deck and aiming for a full house: A 100% Engagement Strategy.
In our previous post, Mobile App Permissions: The Game That is Yours to Lose (part 1), we discussed how the recent shift in app store policies was not as problematic as some would have you think, as it actually presents an opportunity to enrich the customer relationship. In part 2, we will show how, if you play your cards right, this can actually lead to better engagement with all of your customers.
Addressing the Inherent Cost-Benefit Analysis
The new policies of the Apple and Google app stores are clear: if you plan on requesting access to personal data, show the users how consenting to that request will benefit them. As individuals, we are constantly weighing the costs vs. the benefits. This means that your best move is to make the request only when and where the users have shown an interest in the benefits. Once you have confirmed they are interested in the benefit, the request becomes reasonable, justified and timely. After all, in a business relationship, getting something of value usually means giving something in return. Timely tips and information, location-based deals, zero-touch logistics and contextual offers are examples of benefits that your customers may welcome, and value. Perhaps even more importantly, they will improve your business performance as well.
Cost-Benefit Analysis – The Flip Side
Another way to stack the deck and ensure that the cost-benefit analysis comes out in your favor is to lower the costs. When it comes to personal data, the stakes have risen as more people have become aware of how much their data can be exploited when they are not paying attention. When combined with the new policies that call their attention to any use of personal data, the perceived cost of granting access becomes very high. Many companies have responded by trying to adopt more ethical practices for handling data, based on the new policies introduced by regulators and app stores. The problem is that this is time-consuming, expensive and, most frustrating of all, it is often a moving target as these policies evolve. The most effective way to treat personal data more responsibly is to avoid handling it at all. For example, keeping all the data on the user’s phone, literally in their hands, is the best way to both avoid exposure and reassure them that they are in control. That can drive the perceived cost way down and turn a “Why?” into “Why not?”.
An Engagement Strategy that is 100%…
Finally, it is important to understand that part of hyper-personalization is letting the consumers move at their own pace. While there is no doubt that a customer relationship that enables you to use a rich set of data to present your users with the best experience will result in a win-win, this does not mean that you should not make the same effort even when the user has granted access to less data. Even without requesting or receiving any “sensitive” personal data from the app, there is still a lot you know about your customers and even more you can learn. Once the users get a taste of a hyper-personalized experience and realize that you are keeping their data safe and private on the phone, their willingness to share will increase and so will your ability to delight them further. So your mobile engagement strategy should be targeting 100% of your customers, a ‘full house’ that includes everyone, independent of how much information they agree to share with you or how often. When presented with a request for permission to access their personal data, users have the option to choose between ‘Always On’, ‘While in Use’ or ‘No, Thanks’. It’s up to you to engage each of them regardless of their response.
Want to know more about an engagement strategy that is 100%?
