Best Practice: Data Collection
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13 July 2011 00:59am
I would like to know the general consensus from everyone on what type of data would be acceptable to collect from a competition entrant.
I have a work colleague (non-digital) requesting that I remove such fields as address, suburb, city, state, postcode from a competition that requires they purchase a product then enter online with their receipt details and personal details. They can also opt in to our email database but not required. The prize is of significant value and includes an overseas holiday.
Is it wrong for me to stand my ground and keep these fields in for collection? What is everyone else's opinion and their best practice. I would also like to keep this information for our new CRM. It would be vital to validate their details if they have purchased any of our other brands that we retail.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Copywriter at Southport Harbor
14 July 2011 21:30pm
Hi,
You probably know this already, but the less data you request, the better the chances of conversion and getting your contest registration.
Perhaps you start off with just a single field for the entrant's email address.
As you develop a relationship and build credibility, you will be in a better position to collect the additional data you want. Typically, this works best over time, and in small chunks.
Also...
Many of us are often guilty of asking for data that we don't really need, that we never actually use. Give this some thought early in the process.
And...
Think about how you will communicate with your entrant after you have his or her email address, and to what strategic purpose. As you crack this code, your data challenges will fall into place.
The Ultimate Solution...
Give the prospect a choice. Let the prospect decide how much information to give you. Have your designers create some kind of a preferences area/page/box as part of the registration form.
CEO at Econsultancy
18 July 2011 21:44pm
Hi there
Agree with Paul. Broadly speaking you have a trade off to make between quality and quantity i.e. if you want lots of entrants (but many of dodgy quality) then ask for less data. If you want good quality (= high potential value) entrants but less of them, ask for more. I can't say what the right balance is for your business without knowing more. However, I would say that most businesses like big numbers (i.e. lots of entrants) as a sign of 'success' when actually they'd be better off focusing on quality/value. Depends on internal politics and how much you want to risk your career/bonus etc ;)