In the world of online retail, Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) is critical to success. Managing customer identities on BigCommerce and Shopify can be a complex and daunting task, but it’s essential to protecting your business and providing a positive customer experience.
One way to simplify and improve CIAM is to use single sign-on (SSO) functionality. SSO enables customers to log into multiple, online accounts with one set of credentials (usually a username and password). This can be a major convenience for customers who no longer have to remember multiple login details.
If you’re not familiar with CIAM or SSO, this guide explains what they are and how they work. Even better, the team at Optimum7 can also set up the SSO on your BigCommerce or Shopify store, so you can simplify your user management process and your life.
What is CIAM?
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) is the process of managing customer identities, data, and permissions. This includes creating and maintaining customer accounts, authenticating customer login attempts, and authorizing customer access to specific resources.
CIAM is a critical part of any online business. It helps you protect your data and your customers’ data, while also providing a positive customer experience. Poorly managed CIAM can lead to security breaches, customer frustration, and lost sales.
Importance of CIAM
In today’s digital world, a secure login experience is the minimum that customers expect from a modern business. A Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution, like Optimum7’s Single Sign-On functionality, helps you meet this expectation by providing a unified, secure login experience for your customers across all channels.
This encourages trust and encourages your customers to come back to you time and time again. In addition, a CIAM platform can help you improve customer engagement by providing insights into customer behavior.
By understanding how your customers interact with your brand, you can make more informed decisions about how to engage with them going forward. As such, the importance of the CIAM platform cannot be underestimated.
Why is CIAM So Important for Online Businesses?
- Security: CIAM protects your important data from unauthorized access. This includes keeping customer data safe from hackers and preventing information theft.
- Compliance: CIAM empowers you to meet regulatory requirements, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Convenience: CIAM simplifies the process of managing customer accounts, which makes it easier for customers to do business with you.
- Improved Customer Experience: Well-managed CIAM leads to easier site navigation, happier customers, and fewer support issues.
What is SSO (Single Sign-On)?
Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication scheme that enables users to log in to multiple accounts with a single set of credentials. This means that customers only have to keep track of one username and password, instead of multiple sets of login details.
This is a big benefit for users, but it’s also a benefit for businesses. It reduces the number of password reset requests and can increase security by making it more difficult for attackers to gain access to multiple accounts.
How Does SSO (Single Sign-On) Work?
SSO works by establishing a trust relationship between an application (known as the service provider) and an identity provider. This trust relationship is often based upon a certificate that is exchanged between the two parties.
The certificate can be used to sign identity information that is being sent from the identity provider to the service provider, thus ensuring that the information comes from a trusted source. In many cases, SSO can provide a more convenient, efficient, and secure login experience for users.
How Do I Use SSO on BigCommerce?
BigCommerce provides a way for its users to enable SSO for their customers, but an interface needs to be created in order to take advantage of this feature. Optimum7 takes care of this issue, creating a seamless login experience with continuous single sign-on for both users and administrators.
What are the Benefits of Single Sign-On Functionality?
Optimum7’s Single Sign-On Functionality introduces several benefits to your website. Some of these are:
Single Sign-On (SSO) Improves Conversion Rates
The fewer hoops that your customers have to jump through, the more likely they are to convert. With Single Sign-On (SSO), customers, you can reduce the barriers to conversion.
This is a big improvement over the traditional model, where customers had to remember multiple usernames and passwords for each account they had.
Faster, less cluttered sign-ups result in more loyal users. No wonder SSO is gradually becoming the new, industry-standard solution to increase conversion rates across the web and mobile properties.
Data and Account Security
With Single Sign-On functionality, essential security features are provided that safeguard both data and account access. 2-step Verification can be set up that requires an email or an SMS confirmation if extra security is needed.
When you provide secure login procedures, customers know they are safe using your services.
Improved Customer Experience
A single sign-on (SSO) solution provider can offer your customers the streamlined login experience they crave. By consolidating multiple website and service login processes into one single sign-on, you make it easy for your customers to access the resources they need.
In addition, an SSO solution can provide the flexibility to customize the login experience for each customer, based on their preferences. As a result, you can deliver a login experience that is tailored to each individual, making it more likely that they will return to your site or application in the future.
By providing a smooth and efficient login experience, you can encourage your customers to engage more with your digital offerings.
Your Customers Expect SSO on Your Website
Customers nowadays expect single sign-on (SSO) on most of the websites they visit. It’s slowly becoming the bare minimum for eCommerce services to have an SSO on their website.
If you have more than one website or service that requires logging in, you need a single sign-on if you don’t want to annoy your customers and appear behind the times. You can eliminate several common roadblocks that can hurt your business with a single sign-on.
Conclusion
As companies integrate customer identity management systems like single sign-on into their websites for a better digital experience, now is the time for you to take advantage of these features. Single sign-on functionality is an important tool for businesses that want to streamline their customer account management.
Optimum7’s single sign-on functionality can help you achieve this by making customer account information (such as data, consent, and activity) more manageable. This makes it easy to keep track of customer accounts and ensures that only authorized users have access to sensitive information like order information, payment details, etc.
In addition, single sign-on can help you reduce the risk of data breaches by simplifying the process of managing customer credentials. As a result, single sign-on is an essential tool for businesses that want to improve their customer account management.
Bonus Question
Why is Single Sign-On a Gamechanger for eCommerce Businesses?
A Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution like single sign-on functionality, is a must-have for any business that wants to provide quick, convenient, and secure access to its products and services across multiple channels.
Single sign-on functionality, which allows customers to use a single set of credentials to access all of your company’s online services. Moreover, CIAM solutions allow you to use customer data, including customer behavior, to understand your target audience better and tailor your service, products, and marketing.
By investing in a CIAM solution like Optimum7’s Single Sign-On functionality, you can ensure that your customers have a positive experience with your company across all touchpoints.
