Upstream’s Mobile Identity: Online Identification and First-Party Data Collection in a Post-cookie World

New whitepaper reveals Upstream’s game-changing, patented mobile identification technology, the enhancements it brings to marketing, UX and security, and how it pushes mobile operators up in the digital advertising ladder

MarTech experts, Upstream, say its new patented technology can identify up to 85%[1] of a website’s visitors allowing for accurate and efficient mobile marketing in a fully private and compliant way. Upstream’s newly introduced Mobile Identity technology, part of the company’s mobile marketing automation platform, Grow, comes in time to address the digital advertising industry’s search for new identification methods, necessary due to the upcoming demise of third-party cookies.

According to data from Upstream’s “Mobile Identity” report, companies that deploy the technology can[2] boost their digital sales by 20-40%, increase opt-in conversions ten-fold and recover over 10% of revenue lost due to cart abandonment.

The identification of users takes place over the mobile network, using the- mobile phone number – the MSISDN (Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number) – as a unique identifier. Happening instantly, all that’s required is for the user to give their consent via a simple tick box. The solution is designed to work on any browser, website, or application as well as new mobile implementations, 5G rollouts and new web features.

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Simplifying personalization and building better user experiences

By instantly recognizing the mobile phone number of a user visiting a website and auto filling their details, with their consent, Upstream’s Mobile Identity innovatively collects a user’s mobile phone number. This method of first-party data collection enables brands to build-up their CRM (Customer Relationship Management) databases, and is capable of a 10x increase in opt in conversions.

As a part of the Grow marketing automation platform, Upstream’s Mobile Identity enables brands to act directly upon the data they collect. Marketers acquire the ability to manage different audiences and reach them through a wide variety of channels, with emphasis placed primarily on mobile messaging channels. Depending on a user’s online interactions with a brand, they can automatically be retargeted with personalized automated messages. Automated same day retargeting by Upstream’s Grow has proven to increase campaign efficiency by 90% and reduce spam messaging by 47%[3].

“With this new technology, we identify users on the open web and transfer the interaction to the mobile messaging world. It has been proven time and again that SMS -the predecessor of all messaging channels- has an unparalleled penetration and responsiveness. Add the increasing popularity of channels like RCS, WhatsApp and Viber that bring all the digital capabilities into mobile messaging, and you can easily understand why companies should first and foremost try to reach their customers through mobile when it comes to conversational marketing”, said Kostas Kastanis, Upstream Deputy CEO.

Furthermore, Upstream’s Mobile Identity simplifies user journeys, eliminating the need for sign-ins or logins. Brands can showcase personalized content on their websites, and make for smoother check-out processes when completing a purchase, with users simply providing their consent once, leading to better engagement and conversions.

Upstream’s new patent also comes to replace and improve upon older verification technologies, such as one-time passwords (OTPs). With Mobile Identity users just give their mobile phone number, and then they don’t need to receive and insert any OTP. This verification process takes place automatically in the background without any effort involved.

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The opportunity for Mobile Operators

The Mobile Identity technology relies on partnerships with mobile network operators (MNOs). This creates an opportunity for telcos to not only use the technology to enhance their own security, user experience and marketing efforts, but to monetize it by providing it to third parties. Upstream’s solution is software based and requires only minimal integration.

“MNOs are at the forefront of infrastructure investments that connect billions, but over-the-top messaging players are those that reap the most reward,” Kastanis noted. “By monetizing mobile online identification to become a value-added service, mobile operators can partner with marketers across all industries and institutions to personalize content and deliver true omnichannel experiences. They can provide the solution that the digital advertising industry has been frantically looking for and establish their new key role within it.”