Personalization delivers its full value when people help shape the content and manage their settings. “Empower your customer” means involving customers in both communication and personalization. This creates transparency, relevance, and an improved brand experience at every touchpoint. According to McKinsey, 76 percent said that receiving personalized communication was a key factor in considering a brand.
In this article, you will learn how to actively involve your customers in personalization to boost engagement and performance. We show why first- and zero-party data form the foundation of successful customer relationships and why email is the ideal channel to capture preferences deliberately and turn them directly into relevant communication.
Empowerment is more than just a setting
The goal is to enable a true dialogue and letting people actively participate. Most importantly, preferences should be actively collected to keep personalization intuitive and effective. According to Airship, users are most willing to share basic details like name, email address, and relevant interests; a significant share also provides more sensitive information such as location data or physical addresses – provided the purpose is clear and control remains with the individual.
Willingness to share personal data is rising despite heightened privacy awareness. Because personalized experiences offer a tangible benefit, users are sharing more information with companies. This knowledge can be used to better understand customer expectations and tailor offers with greater precision.
First- and zero-party data as the foundation
First-party data covers interactions within your own channels – opens, clicks, and purchases. In addition, explicitly requested and actively provided details – often referred to as zero-party data – offer a particularly precise view because people consciously share their preferences, needs, or constraints.
Tip: Collect zero-party data purposefully at the right moments along the customer journey. Instead of long forms, ask a few context-specific questions in situations where the information creates immediate relevance. Your data foundation will grow step by step, remain high quality, and be understandable for customers.
Data in marketing automation
A practical example of combining actively obtained zero-party data with marketing automation is the classic cart abandonment. A few days after the abandonment, you can automatically ask for the reason and offer clear response options, such as “I no longer need it” or “It was too expensive”. Clicking these options not only reveals what prevented the purchase but also teaches you about the offer, price sensitivity, and the person’s expectations. You can act on this immediately – for example with an appropriate objection-handling message, an alternative product suggestion, or a reminder of service benefits.
Email as the control panel for personalization
There are more and more ways to collect data directly within emails. Interactive emails enable recipients to configure their preferences right in the inbox – without switching channels. The result is a tailored offering based on readily shared information, and subsequent messaging becomes noticeably more relevant. For companies, this means a better understanding of what matters and a solid basis for orchestrating future contacts.
Empowerment through self-service
Communication settings that people manage themselves are particularly important.
• Channel: Customers use different channels and technologies and are variably reachable and receptive depending on context. Communication can thus be tailored to the individual.
• Frequency: Instead of deciding in general terms how much communication is good or bad, enable recipients to set how often they want to be contacted – and use this input to optimize delivery.
Elaine Frequency Management
Alternatively, with the help of AI you can infer which channels and frequencies are likely to work best even without active input.
GDPR as the framework for responsible personalization
The GDPR is the central guardrail for data and personalization. It requires transparent processing, clear purposes, and consent that can be withdrawn at any time. For personalized communication, this means people decide which data they share, what it is used for, and for how long. Companies should make this visible – for example through an easily accessible preference center, clear notices about data usage, and transparent opt-in/opt-out mechanics.
Purpose and data minimization should guide your approach. Only request information that creates a concrete and meaningful benefit.
Conclusion
Empowerment makes personalization transparent, effective, and measurable. The easier it is to maintain preferences and the more clearly communication improves in relevance, the more acceptance, engagement, and performance grow. First- and zero-party data provide the precise foundation, email is the practical control panel – and the GDPR ensures transparency, fairness, and reliability. Start now and give your customers control – the difference in relevance and results will be noticeable.
Companies should:
• Automate customer communication
• Actively ask customers about their preferences
• Verify GDPR compliance
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Checklist: 11 best practices for interactive emails
In our checklist “11 best practices for interactive emails”, we and our partner Mayoris present eleven best practices for interactive emails in email marketing.
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