As the world’s biggest jewellery company, selling 280,000 items per day and producing more than 100 million pieces per year, Pandora knows a thing or two about what customers want – and how to make their shopping experience a seamless one.
Baltazar Ozonek is VP of data analytics and marketing technology. He has a huge role to play in that process, enabling his team to create frictionless and personalised experiences for customers by unlocking the potential of first-party customer data across Pandora’s value chain. “First-party data is where we get to understand our core audiences, identify opportunities for growth, and enrich experiences,” explains Ozonek.
The brilliance of teams with diverse skill sets
In the last few years, Ozonek and his team have been building Pandora’s capabilities to turn first-party data into marketing and business value. And for Ozonek, people skills are the most important aspect of Pandora’s digital transformation strategy. He sees an opportunity to think outside the box when hiring talent.
“We have a broad and diverse set of individuals. They have experience in astrophysics, nanotechnology, mathematical modelling — and have done all sorts of exciting and inspiring things, such as predicting when power plants need maintenance or optimising call-centre quality through sentiment analysis of customer calls.”
Recent research from Boston Consulting Group and Google reveals that embracing new skills and partnerships is one of four crucial areas where companies need to focus in order to accelerate their digital marketing maturity.
Ozonek confirms that this has been pivotal for Pandora: “By having people with strong and diverse capabilities you will be able to unlock the full potential of first-party data,” Ozonek adds.
The charm in Pandora’s value exchange
Pandora’s value exchange hinges on a frictionless shopping experience that rewards customers for engaging with the brand, and predictive shopping that constantly learns from individual likes and dislikes with each purchase and interaction.
“We try to understand and help you identify relevant shopping experiences, so that we don't send you somewhere you have shown no interest, or where you're not really engaging with our brand. Our job is to understand the context you’re in, where you’re coming from, where you are right now, and what your engagement with us will look like. Then we use those insights to drive a richer and more valuable experience for you as a customer.”
Ensuring a solid approach to data ethics
Personalisation and privacy – it’s the modern marketing dilemma. Online shoppers want and expect personalisation, but eight out of 10 are cautious about sharing their data. To build and earn customer trust over time, Ozonek believes that brands must align ‘what is said’ with ‘what is done’.
“When we are entrusted with a customer’s personal data, we acknowledge that this doesn’t mean it belongs to us. We will not sell your personal data to third parties, for example. These guiding principles run through everything we do.”
So, how does Pandora use their first-party data collection? It’s primarily used to enhance the customer experience, optimising everything from product and business insights to in-store experience, as well as website CX and paid media. It also brings with it advancements in measurement.
“The rise of privacy and data ethics is reshaping how we approach digital in general – for us it’s all about safeguarding customer trust and the mutually beneficial relationship between brand and customer,” Ozonek states.
Sparkling ambitions to increase the customer base
Today, Pandora has a 20-million customer base, but they plan to double it in two years by launching initiatives focused on the customer value exchange.1 For example, by offering personalised promotions and providing an easy e-commerce checkout. They will also be allowing shoppers to share data when they interact with Pandora’s physical stores; this will help optimise the customer experience.
They also aim to engage with customers with more personalised and brand relevant content to help the brand connect with online and offline channels in a more seamless way.
“We fundamentally believe in creating a compelling reason to engage and be a part of that value exchange,” Ozonek adds. “By proving to our customers that if you share some of your data with us, we will in return provide you with a richer, more relevant, more personalised, smoother – and simply better – Pandora experience.”
Check out the Listen & Think with Google podcast for more lessons on first-party data from Pandora and other executives and brands in Northern Europe.
