Single Sign-On, the First Step in Converting to Omnichannel

“Omnichannel” is marketing speak for targeting the same customer, no matter where she is: brick and mortar store, the website, a mobile app. No matter your strategy, integrating Single Sign-on (“SSO”) functionality is a prerequisite.

First, some basics on architecture: any website you visit, app you use, or intranet system you navigate that transmits data usually links to other systems. Those systems can be CRM, payments, databases, etc. As a user, if you can submit information that changes your experience, you’re benefiting from the way the systems fit together. To get those benefits, you usually have to login.

If you’ve ever experienced the pain of logging in more than once, having different logins to access different applications or features, or forgotten an obscure password, you’ve experienced the pain of not having SSO.

But the pain is not just inconvenience, it can mean the difference between encouraging users to convert on an action or purchase, or even deter paid and unpaid users from returning to your properties in the near future. At the very least, SSO can make your experience more seamless and efficient. Here are some key benefits:

Making the user feel welcome
Providing a universal password
Eliminating duplicative credentials
Managing access for current, onboarding, and exiting employees or affiliates
Encouraging frequency of login
Liberating data feeds from isolated environments
Standardizing user experience across devices and software properties
Building a user profile
Enabling Personalization through settings and communication preferences
Delivering tailored content and functionality according to profile and context
Facilitating transactions and payments
Introducing machine learning, recommendations, promotions, and predictive analytics
Maintaining platform architecture and user experience standards
Reducing demand on customer care

Today, there are some convenient tools available for different types of platform operators. For enterprise use, check out Azure and Bitium. For mobile apps, consider using the standards. On iOS 8, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn offer deep integrations. On Android, Google+ is the standard.

A recent study by identity management platform Gigya discovered that Facebook continues to dominate social logins by powering 61% of all social logins. On mobile, Facebook’s dominance is more pronounced- it owns 77% of all social logins. For the most part, Facebook is taking market share away from Google at this point.

Distribution of social logins

Looking ahead, Apple’s Touch ID could become a major threat to existing log-in providers. Gigya CEO Patrick Salyer explains, “If it gets traction with developers as an authentication mechanism on mobile apps, it could really start to eat Facebook’s lunch in identity.”

This trend of biometric identity verification is continuing to expand. 1U is an app that asks users to hold their phone’s selfie camera to their face, quickly verifies their identity, launches a new tab in their laptop’s browser and logs in automatically, without users ever touching the keyboard. While there is little value to users already using a password manager, the underlying technology and its implementation is pointing the way to a password-free future.

Generally, consumer app companies can bolt in SSO with ease, but enterprises often have more complex architecture. In certain instances when an ecosystem has grown inorganically, such as through acquisition or licensing solutions from independent vendors, the integration process can be cumbersome. Still, doing so is essential to remaining competitive in a landscape where platforms that offer the most personalized experiences to their users prevail.

For questions related to SSO, universal profile, and modern cloud / web service architecture, please feel free to visit our company site and blog.

Filed under: Product Engineering | Topics: omnichannel, single sign-on