While most of these changes won’t be visible to customers, there is one situation that will require communication with every person on your email list. Read on to find out how your e-commerce business may need to adjust to comply with the GDPR.

Data holding

You need to have an explicit reason for collecting and holding the data you have on current subscribers. If you cannot justify having information about a customer, you must delete it, and collect only relevant data going forward.

Your customers now have the right to request full disclosure about the data you hold, what data you held in the past, and the purpose you have for holding it. They can also seek out information about any third parties you’ve shared the information with.

Perhaps the condition that has gained the most attention is this one: your e-commerce business must be able to show proof that email subscribers gave permission to be subscribed to your list. This means that purchasing scraped email lists is no longer a viable strategy.

Changes to email and how to do it

This last point about email subscriber permission is critical. Like most businesses, if you do not have this permission on file, you will need to contact each subscriber and ask for it. This consent seeking has seen genuine list shrinkage of up to 90%, but it doesn’t need to be a source of panic. Indeed, it can be an opportunity. Here’s why.

When you seek an explicit opt-in from your list, you will quickly see your list narrow to the customers who specifically want to hear from you. This list will be small but the potential to tailor your content and develop rich relationships is unparalleled. The number of unresponsive accounts will reduce significantly, leaving you with a clearer understanding of your true consumer base.

The key to seeing a higher opt-in percentage is the wording you deploy when emailing your current list. Ensure you avoid a simple check box with a phrase like, ‘click here to continue receiving our emails’. It’s too easy for customers to skim and avoid taking action. Instead, include two radio buttons (yes and no) that require subscribers to make a conscious choice. It also provides you a chance to offer a last chance ‘reconsideration’ notice before losing the subscriber completely. Simple changes like this can see significant improvements in positive conversion rates.