Choosing a consumer data partner is a multi-phase process; the ecosystem is crowded, and it is often difficult to tell which provider has the best solution to meet your needs. Part One of this three-part series covered the basic questions to ask when evaluating a potential partner.
In this second installment, Mobilewalla outlines the technical nuts and bolts that need to be addressed by a potential consumer intelligence provider.
Getting a sense of how the provider collects and analyzes their data is essential to parsing out the true differentiators of the partner versus other companies in the ecosystem. There are three key areas to focus on when evaluating a new data partner’s product offering.
How are the audiences captured – via raw data or curated data feeds? What kind of attribution are they offering? How does location factor into their data collection? How often is their data refreshed? How long is their data stored for? What is their location data based on: Lat/Long, IP, proximity size? Vertical location (buildings with multiple floors)? Is the data that is collected cookie-based or ma-based?
Does their collection, modeling, or products implement areas of machine learning or a? Can they create lookalike models off of first party customer data? What is their core methodology? Do they have the ability to match their devices against your current customer devices? Are they able to provide additional insights and attributes to your current CRM? What types of audiences do they offer in terms of categories, demographics and locations?
What level of service and support do they offer? What does their integration assistance look like? Does that include data science assistance? Will you have a dedicated account management team? What is their privacy policy? What type of third-party certifications or accreditations do they have? Do they have a user interface for clients, and is there a fee for using it? Is it customizable? What features does it have.
Asking the right questions is critical when selecting a new data partner. Learning more about the nuts and bolts of a potential partner’s offering puts you in a better position to ready yourself for integration and setup.
The next post in this series will help you understand the integration and functionality questions that are essential to navigating the data ecosystem.