Types of Profile Merging
Profile merging is the process of bringing together multiple customer profiles that belong to the same person but have been stored separately for various reasons, like using different devices or email addresses. To create a complete profile, a unique merging key is chosen to combine the data across the entire system. This merging key can be an email address, credit card, or any other identifier that groups client profiles.
Identity Resolution
Identity resolution is a broader term used to link various pieces of data about an individual or entity to create a comprehensive and accurate view. In ReBid CDP, identity resolution helps connect data from different sources, like website interactions and email campaigns, to form a unified customer profile.
Merging Process
Merging customer profiles is a complex process that involves following rules and procedures. It starts by retrieving the current customer profile from the database. If the event is handled by a workflow with the profile merging action or is marked as an identification point in the customer journey, the system uses the defined "merge key" (like an email address) to load the profile data instead of the profile's ID.
If the system finds multiple profiles with the same merge key, it merges the data from all these profiles into one. In case of conflicting data, like different names, the system resolves the conflict by picking the last value and saving other values in an "aux.conflict.name" field, like ["Sheldon", "Cooper"].
The merged profile receives a new ID, and a new profile record is created. Obsolete profiles are deleted, and the events associated with the deleted profiles are copied to the new merged profile.
The new profile ID is saved locally on the device's database. However, it's important to note that not all devices may update their reference to the current profile with the new ID immediately.
Profile Propagation
Consider this example: A customer uses an online store with a laptop and a mobile phone, and each device has a different profile ID. The laptop has profile ID 1, and the mobile phone has profile ID 2.
At some point, the customer enters their email address on the laptop, creating a new merged profile with ID 3. The laptop's browser saves a reference to this new profile. However, the mobile phone still stores the reference to the old profile.
The next time the customer uses their mobile phone to access the online store, the system uses the old profile ID to identify them. But instead of loading the old profile, the system recognizes that the old profile ID has been merged with a new profile. The mobile phone receives the new profile ID (3) and saves it locally.
This way, the linked profile information propagates to all devices, and the customer will have the same updated profile ID on both the laptop and the mobile phone. This provides a complete customer view and improves the overall customer experience.
Profile Segmentation
A segment is a group of customer profiles that have been identified as having similar characteristics or behaviors. It is the result of segmenting customer profiles. Segmentation is the process of dividing a customer base into smaller groups with similar characteristics. These segments can be described by a simple logical rule or by more complex AI models.
In ReBid CDP, a segment is a part of the customer profile, and it can be used in the segmentation workflow. A segment is typically represented by a simple sentence that describes the group, for example, "Customers with a high volume of purchases". This group of customers, who have a high volume of purchases, can be targeted with specific marketing campaigns or other customer-centric actions based on their behavior and characteristics.
The segmentation process is started automatically after each update of profile data, or it can be initiated manually within a workflow by placing the action "Segment profile".
In ReBid CDP, the criteria for segmentation are defined in the segmentation tab. This means that when a segmentation is defined, it can be used in multiple workflows without the need to change anything in the workflows themselves. If segmentation is enabled, it will be run automatically after each workflow is completed.
A segment consists of a name and segmentation criteria. At the time of segmentation the name will be converted into the segmentation id. Names will be lower-cased and spaces will be replaced with dashes. A profile will be attached to a given segment if the data contained in it meets the defined segment criteria. Criteria are nothing more than a logical rule. For example, a user must visit our website at least 5 times.
For example: Segment named: Frequent visitor. He has a criterion that looks like this:
If the profile in its statistical data has been saved that the number is more than 5, then the segmentation id will be added in the profile in the segments item, which will look like frequent-visitor.
Note: A profile can belong to multiple segments.
Profile synchronization
Profile synchronization is an important aspect of data management, especially in ReBid CDP. By coordinating the processing of events and actions, organizations can ensure that data is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date, and that actions and processes are performed in the correct order.
Take this example: Imagine that an online retailer tracks events related to customer profiles, such as product searches, purchases, and customer service interactions. ReBid CDP might receive many events each second, including events related to different customer profiles.
To ensure that events are processed accurately and consistently, ReBid CDP implements profile synchronization. This makes processing events for each customer profile sequentially, so that events related to one customer are fully processed one by one even if they are sent at the same time. This ensures that the data for each customer is accurate and up-to-date, and that actions and processes are performed in the correct order.
Without profile synchronization, it is possible that events for different customer profiles could be processed out of order, leading to inconsistencies and errors in the data. Once you have implemented profile synchronization in ReBid CDP, you can be confident that your data is accurate and consistent, and that your actions and processes are performed in the correct order.
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