Using API integration to collect real-time data for personalization
Incorporating an API is a fantastic way to enlarge your company and unite your patrons with the online encounters they demand today.
In my previous article, I examined how merchants can form a customization plan and how they can utilize technology to reach their individualization objectives.
By defining a personalization strategy, retailers can use data - particularly real-time data - to create customer-specific experiences in their marketing channels and on their website.
What even is an API?
An API can be used to define the elements of a particular data set and help you determine what to do with it. Users can create and manage custom data pulls for various needs when working with third parties through an API. For example, our clients use APIs to retrieve sizing and style recommendations for each specific customer visiting their site. By using established endpoints, clients are able to call directly to our database and retrieve data in real-time.
Four main parts of API:
- Makes data sets accessible
- Protects user from backend complexity
- Functionality
- Data security
HOW ARE APIS BEING APPLIED TO PERSONALIZATION?
There are many applications for an API that allows for personalization, as the data sets can be manipulated to create unique combinations depending on the need. Login APIs enable users to login with their Facebook or Google accounts.
Payment APIs enable customers to make purchases using a PayPal account or other third-party payment providers. Social proof APIs can display Instagram posts of a product on its product details page.
Recommendation APIs, such as Fit Analytics', can give customers the likelihood an item will be the right style and fit based on the past purchase and return data of consumers with similar fit profiles and preferences.
Benefits of integrating API
When integrating an API, there are benefits for both the customer and the business. Businesses may experience increased productivity due to a variety of factors, depending on the department.
By using APIs, developers can construct bespoke software more rapidly and have greater control over how data is presented.
They allow access to third-party platforms that gather real-time data and operate with computation complexity, such as AI.
By offering APIs, brands are able to provide more functionality and services to consumers.
Third-party APIs have increased volume and access to larger data sets that create network effects and more diverse possibilities.
The key business benefit to APIs is how they can deliver personalized experiences which have a direct impact to a brand’s bottom line. A 2017 Epsilon survey of 1,000 consumers ages 18 to 64 found that personalization has a huge appeal, with 80 percent of respondents indicating they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences.
The Fit Analytics recommendation API allows clients to access our database of style and fit recommendations for customers, which can then be fed back into the client website. Our recommendation API allows data to be delivered in real-time, contributing to more personalized experiences for shoppers.
Applying APIs to your business
By allowing other users or clients access to some data through an API, the API can be used to develop a custom solution, application, or user interface.
To get started, you will need to determine the configuration and data that needs to be customized for your business. This may include integrating a service to your site or leveraging existing third-party data. Investigate existing APIs that are designed for easy integrations with minimal coding, or create your own use case. When all is said and done, it is a matter of comprehending what you want to do and then making use of key functionalities, for example an API, in order to reach your objective.
API integration can have a significant impact on your business bottom line by connecting your website visitors with the types of experiences they have come to expect.
