Gigya helps companies collect customer info

Gigya's new Identity Management Platform lets businesses collect demographic info on customers

It is pretty clear to everyone already, social networking is no longer just a way for college kids to plan a study group or the next frat party. It is now an innovative and comprehensive new channel for professional networking and business advertising. Indeed, there is hardly a business today from the smallest candy shop to the biggest automotive company that does not have a facebook page. That is what Gigya is trying to hone and harness with its new Identity Management Platform.

The new platform, announced late Wednesday, will allow companies that utilize Gigya's services to, on a consensual basis, acquire demographic information from their customers through their respective social network profiles. For example, if an individual on Facebook "likes" a certain company that utilizes the Identity Management Platform, that company will now be able to acquire that individual's consent and have the ability to access their profile information.

"The social web presents a tremendous opportunity for sites to understand their users like never before," said Gigya CEO Patrick Salyer, in a statement.

Because of the prevelance of sites like Twitter and Facebook in today's society and the amount of time the average user will spend on them, the demographic information obtained from them is most likely to be current and up to date. This information allows companies to evaluate the common demographics they are attracting and adjust their marketing schemes accordingly. Furthermore, when advertising on social networks, businesses can invest resources more efficiently when they know which customer base to target.

Previously agencies would need to hire entirely seperate companies to serve the function of collecting and analyzing customer base data. Since its founding in 2006, Gigya has expanded to serve more than 280,000 users each month. Its current services involve allowing businesses and new agencies to link their websites into such modern social networking sites as Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. The Identity Mangement Platform is a promising advancement in Gigya's mission to close the gap between companies and their patrons.