Aliyah Winfrey

I'm Aliyah Winfrey, a staff design researcher who’s passionate about creating clarity and alignment in complex research spaces. I thrive on asking the right questions and uncovering insights that drive meaningful design. Outside work, I tend to my garden, experiment with new baking recipes, or get lost in a classic PS2 game.

Staff Design Researcher

Brandon Simons

Brandon Simons is a Principal Product Manager at Auth0, where he has spent over three years dedicated to empowering customers to build great login experiences. His focus is on providing the right balance between ease of development and maintenance, while ensuring a delightful end user journey. Prior to his role at Auth0, Brandon spent over a decade working in SaaS at companies large and small.

Principal Product Manager

The benefits of leveraging social connections for your customers

Social Login has become a login method across [numerous regions, ages, and community types](https://auth0.com/blog/digital-identity-what-users-think-about-devices-and-logins/). Globally, we are connected through social media, and leveraging social login allows us to fortify those connections through a seamless and secure login. However, many everyday people don’t understand [how social login or social connections work](https://auth0.com/blog/analysis-of-social-connection-data/) or, more importantly, if [social login is a safe way](https://auth0.com/blog/social-login-on-the-rise/) to log in or sign up. 

Social login uses existing social media accounts, such as Google, Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), Apple, and Microsoft, to sign in or go up for websites. It reduces the cognitive load of users remembering another username and password or, worse… _reusing a password_ 😱 over 70% of general users do. Over thousands of our customers have integrated Social Login in their authentication flow. Social login offers the following.

1. Frictionless and rapid method for users to sign up/log in via a 1-click solution
2. Implementing social login significantly increases the conversion rate.<sup><a href="https://auth0.com/blog/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/#Increase-Your-Sign-Up-Conversion-Rate-by-20-">1 </a></sup><sup><a href="https://www.marketone.com/articles/maximizing-conversion-rates-with-social-sign-in">2</a></sup>
3. Security of social login 

However, internal research of general population users cited the sentiment that social login is the most vulnerable identifier to cyberattacks.

![Social login](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/13wdcxqs5xSsqyzL1bkQjx/2dad6f825cb64537ce2ae1dd1d4884c5/Social_Login.png)

Given this sentiment, let’s break down three common myths about Social Login among general users and share some key points to keep in mind when using it in your applications.

## The Myths of Social Login

> **Myth #1**: Logging in via my social account (Facebook, Google, or Microsoft)  gives away the data in my social account.

Social account hacking is a huge and serious concern for everyday users. However, many social login services such as Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft do not grant full access to your account and share only what’s necessary, such as name and email. Social Login providers share limited information with the application or website users are logging in to. Social login minimizes the data you store when signing up for accounts. The less data you store, _the better_.

This means they are not sharing your data on your social login account. Social login only grants authentication rights to create or log into an account. Additionally, many social login providers allow users to review, control, and revoke access to their account settings, meaning users must grant permission to access _any_ account data. Social login does not give the application or service users a sign-up for access to data such as private messages, browsing history, or other sensitive information.

> **Myth #2**: Social login is less secure than a password.*

Social login is often more secure than using a password for a few reasons. Traditional login methods, such as passwords, are prone to reuse and have general weaknesses, such as hackers guessing simple passwords. Social login reduces the risk by offering a passwordless way to authenticate. Moreover, users' risk of credential theft and phishing is diminished, given they are not creating and storing credentials to log in to third-party sites and services. Social Login often provides built-in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) as an added layer of security in comparison to relying on a password, which may or may not offer MFA.

Social login utilizes big companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple's investment in keeping users’ accounts safe with a team of security experts working 24/7. These companies monitor accounts for unusual and suspicious activity, unauthorized access, and hackers. \

> **Myth #3**: Social Login isn’t safe cause it’s too easy.*

It’s really that simple. Ease of access ≠ lacks security. Social Login simplifies authenticating users as who they say they are while leveraging leading security measures. In other words, it’s simple authentication that does not sacrifice security. Remembering a password is more challenging and less secure. Weak or reused passwords pose a greater risk to personal data and security.

## Let’s Enable Our Users and Build Trust

Building trust with users is about more than just convenience. It requires a strong commitment to security, clear communication, and giving users the tools to protect themselves. Social login makes signing in easier while keeping accounts secure, but users should take extra steps to stay safe. Enabling MFA, reviewing permissions in Google, Microsoft, or Apple account centers, and staying aware of account activity all help strengthen security. When an organization provides these options and offerings, such as Auth0, allow for seamless integration, users take advantage of them, and online interactions become both safer and simpler.

Ready to rethink social login? Start implementing it in your apps, and learn more [here](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login)! Or [review some of our social login Labs](https://developer.auth0.com/resources/labs?topic=authentication)”

Demystifying Social Login

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200 avatar

df6c864847fba9687d962cb80b482764?size=200

Martin Gontovnikas, a.k.a Gonto, is a software engineer at heart who moved to the ‘dark side’ and became VP of Marketing at Auth0. He considers himself lucky to have found a way to combine his two passions and apply his engineering thinking model to marketing.<br/><br/> Gonto’s analytical thinking is a huge driver of his data-driven approach to marketing strategy and experimental design. He is based in the Bay area, and in his spare time, can be found eating gourmet food at the best new restaurants, visiting every local brewery he can find, or traveling the globe in search of new experiences.

Former SVP of Marketing and Growth at Auth0

Martin Gontovnikas

Social login is the quickest way to engage your users and drive your growth



<div class="alert alert-info alert-icon">
  <i class="icon-budicon-500"></i>
  <strong>Forrester Consulting analysis determines that using Auth0 can yield a 548% ROI and $3.7M in identity-related savings. Read the full report: <a href="https://auth0.com/forrester-total-economic-impact">Total Economic Impact of Auth0</a>.</strong>
</div>

---

People look at social login as just an easier way to log in. That’s true, but it’s a bit simplistic.

What gets overlooked is how the very best companies and stickiest products maximize social login not just at login but at every step of the customer journey. They pull user information to create more personal onboarding experiences and they pull social data to make addictive notifications that bring users back to the app.

Here are 3 ways to use social login to improve conversion rates, get users to activation as quickly as possible, and re-engage and retain users. In short, social login helps you broaden your funnel, turn users into customers, and drive down churn—which provides the basis for long-term and sustainable growth.

## Increase Your Sign Up Conversion Rate by 20%

Social login makes it super simple to sign up for a new product. You reduce friction by providing 1-click sign up rather than having to fill out multiple form fields, put in your email and select yet another password.

![Pinterest Social Login](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3BkOdBqtFmFkI8cOVPIFvz/3e739f1412c4c7b7fa4d7d1d4d9a916f/pinterest-social-login)

It’s no surprise then that social login helps lift conversion rates. The numbers vary wildly on exactly how much conversion rates improve—and in addition, much of this data has been provided by social login providers themselves, who are obviously interested parties. However, the numbers generally show an improvement in conversion, and in some cases, very significant increases.

* “[40-60% increase](https://www.quora.com/What-impact-does-social-login-have-on-conversion-rates) in conversion rates with some reaching upwards of 130%”
* “Conversion rates [increase anywhere from 20-40%](https://www.quora.com/What-impact-does-social-login-have-on-conversion-rates) after social login implementation”
* “Conversion rates [increase up to 20%](https://www.quora.com/What-impact-does-social-login-have-on-conversion-rates)[”](https://www.quora.com/What-impact-does-social-login-have-on-conversion-rates)
* “Both options (traditional form plus social login) [converts 8.5% more](http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/53155/any-stats-data-advocating-integrated-social-logins-over-traditional-user-passw) website visitors to form submitters”
* “Social login increases registration rates by up to 50%”

![Website to Form Conversion](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5zphNFcQ4ADDhAiDC9vKeb/d7abfffa87517a39cf36519eecbaf66b/website-to-form-conversion)

Even MailChimp—which came out against social login after [experimenting with it for a month](https://blog.mailchimp.com/social-login-buttons-arent-worth-it/)—showed a 3.4% lift in conversion from landing to login. MailChimp ultimately decided to rip it out based on concerns around branding and design. Nevertheless, given that MailChimp deals with tens of millions of visitors a week, a 3.4% conversion rate improvement captured a huge absolute number of people with a minimal amount of work.

### Key Takeaway

Per ounce of work, implementing social login is one of the quickest wins around for driving up your sign up conversion rates and widening your funnel.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Implementing social login is one of the quickest wins around for driving up your sign up conversion rates."/>

<div class="" style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0; max-width: 250px;" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6ihIHi6w1rJZFXavzdzkr5/6a0bc8a309bb57e5e1400f035ed6f220/what-is-social-login" alt="Social Login with Auth0" />
</div>

With an identity as a service provider like Auth0, you get nearly every [social login](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login) option without having to do any additional work. Turning on a social login provider is a matter of flipping a switch rather than learning yet another API.

![Enabling Social Login in Auth0](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2nzEW9XVzRGRKsF4fBn56W/106f08b156a049fdf9b5bcc8530a13b2/enabling-social-providers-2)

Then [customize the login](https://auth0.com/docs/libraries/lock/customization) to emphasize social login or even potentially only allow social login. A/B test different configurations to optimize your conversion rate.

![Login Customization](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6U7j4BgGDJMvtxgXBytwKl/38756ecac61c17dd0156324b26188604/login-customization)

## Activate Users During Onboarding Immediately via Personalization

Personalizing your onboarding flow is one of the most powerful ways to improve your activation rate and turn more trial prospects into paying customers.

But how can you personalize your onboarding flow for people you don’t know anything about? They just signed up and haven’t used your product at all.

% include tweet_quote.html quote_text="Personalizing your onboarding flow is one of the most powerful ways to improve your activation rate and turn more trial prospects into paying customers. " %}

The answer is Facebook. Or Google, Twitter, GitHub and LinkedIn. On all of these social networks that we use, we’ve grown a massive bodies of information about ourselves that you as an app developer can use to tailor a personal onboarding experience.

![Facebook Social Login Setup in Auth0](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5BUMIOOjrFd2O5XTBGscAt/732a89fcd4d1ebca1591c10b3ac237e2/facebook-setup)


Here is a short list of user attributes you can pull from [Facebook via social login](https://auth0.com/docs/connections/social/facebook):

* Basic Profile
* Home town
* About Me description
* Email
* Location
* Birthday
* Website
* Education History
* Work History
* Friend List
* Friend’s Likes
* User’s Likes
* And more . . .

You can use all of that information to make the onboarding experience incredibly personal. For example, after you sign up to Instagram via Facebook, the app’s personalized onboarding flow kicks in and they show you your friends staring right back at you.

![Instagram On Boarding](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2DDDadd0iTSnm4CVcGgYzk/2f334559f3cbc8688f1449778156bf93/instagram-)

That gets you to the “aha!” activation moment very quickly. Rather than having to build a follower list manually out of vague recommendations, the app is able to pull the exact people you want to follow (your friends) via Facebook Graph API after social login. You immediately have a highly relevant and personal feed, and that shows you the value of Instagram right away.

Instagram heavily emphasizes social login on their home screen. Log in with Facebook is the top and highlighted option, whereas email is put underneath in plaintext.


<div class="" style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0; max-width: 250px;" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/AQWN2fZDwNP6H8SYTj4UL/4f5786aadaf84f50c1ba311e442e864d/instgram-login" alt="Instagram Social Login" />
</div>

### Key Takeaway

Don’t leave your onboarding flow generic, delivering the same experience to everyone no matter how different they are. Do whatever you can to personalize your onboarding flow. For many apps, that means pushing the user through social login and using the information culled from their network to create a highly personal onboarding experience.

[Appcues](http://appcues.com/) is a user-onboarding-as-a-service that makes it super simple to create personalized user onboarding flows. As an incredibly easy way to get started with personalized onboarding flows, take the info that you pull from social login and drop it into your onboarding messaging using simple user properties like `{aboutMe}`, `{website}` and `{educationHistory}`.

![Appcues Welcome](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7m9JRM2eLNoywY2Jt1y4ml/995350eae07b0c7f07dd301ce94efd5f/appcues-welcome)

A more advanced technique is to distill social login information into buyer personas. For example, suppose that you pull a user’s job history from Facebook or LinkedIn social login. You can segment trial prospects into 4 groups, your 4 buyer personas: engineer, marketer, product manager, and designer. Then giving each a different onboarding flow tailored to their user case.

![Role Based OnBoard](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6p4SL57ny4C13ISlbR7zEX/30343149725007614774ee3218219e85/role-based-onboard)

## Drive 3x Engagement with Push and Email Notifications

According to mobile analytics platform [Localytics](https://uplandsoftware.com/localytics/), users who enable push notifications have nearly 3x the engagement rate versus those who disable push. That’s because user notifications via push on mobile or email are one of the biggest drivers of engagement and re-engagement.

We’re all familiar with notifications that tell us what has happened to us—for instance, when someone likes or comments on our Facebook post. Or, when someone mentions us on Twitter or hearts our photo on Instagram.

The problem with those notifications is that they require that the users themselves are already active. In the words of former [Facebook product manager Meenal Balar](http://firstround.com/review/heres-what-a-real-growth-strategy-looks-like-road-tested-by-facebook-and-remind/): “We found that the notifications we were sending to our most engaged users didn't make a huge impact — they were coming back to the site every day anyway.”

Where you’ll make the biggest impact with notifications is by engaging *inactive* users. Foursquare, for example, is able to email you with a personal, relevant message even if you haven’t been active in the app. It will notify you with where your friends have been going and what they’ve been liking.

![Foursquare personalized email](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3iTbWug8n0690j5JzbIocZ/75fdd27d7b6aadd12d1906de007e75d7/foursquare-email)

That shows the massive power of driving users to make friend and following relationships in your app. You can deliver effective notifications based on what connections are doing in the app because you know that they’ll be relevant and interesting to the user. To complete the loop, the notification will reactivate the user and get them back in the app.

It’s social login that provides the basic social graph upon which your app’s social graph will be built. Like in Instagram, as above, the moment you sign up, you can connect to the social graph you’ve painstakingly built on Facebook or Twitter. Further, as social connections join the app, you can notify the user and ask them to make that connection inside of your app as well.

<div class="" style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0; max-width: 250px;" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1yhs3cI42MwocNT4Bz4rHM/399a72798e5123112cea00de11d691ad/instagram-notifications" alt="Instagram Notifications based on Social Profiles" />
</div>

The upshot is that the user’s social graph inside of your app will be stronger, and that will provide the basis for more relevant notifications. This can re-engage your users in your app, showing them how their friends are using at the value they get from it. Ultimately, what you’re aiming for is a “smile graph”, where [retention](https://amplitude.com/blog/2015/11/24/cohorts-to-improve-your-retention/) might dip initially, but over time, users get reactivated and they become active in the app again. Retention then curves back up and growth takes off.

![Evernote Smile Graph](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/65bZ7hkNDCvTKoLMfJoEId/115b00f8dc9240d1a224600b7d8b97db/evernote-smile-graph)

### Key Takeaway

Social login strengthens connections in your app which provides the basis for notifications that improve retention. Make sure that you’re using the information you get from social login over the entire customer lifecycle, not just during onboarding.

To Janet Choi at Customer.io, [notifications about what your friends are doing](https://customer.io/blog/persuasive-emails.html) are among the most powerful because of a neurobiological mechanism in the human brain called the “framing effect.” We as humans don’t process wins and losses the same—we fear loss much more than we enjoy gain. What results is the emotional trigger commonly known as FOMO, or fear of missing out, which is a powerful driver in social apps to get people to re-engage to see what they’re missing.

[Customer.io](http://customer.io/) is a SaaS product that makes it easy to send lifecycle emails based on what happens in your app. You can use it to set up a simple recurring email where you point out what your friends are doing in the app.

For instance, at social-location check-in app Swarm, they take a very literal approach to this tactic. Approximately every 2 months, they sent out an email with the subject “You’re missing your friends’ check-ins”. It includes a count of how many of my friends checked in and how many check-ins they logged with a call to action to satisfy your FOMO, open the app, and join in on the fun.

![Swarm Email](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3pgZCDFVBbKC2PpUxMK557/c555a3bdbf3e650ead8a2dba625bb2f6/swarm-email)

## It’s Better Together

Social login is so useful because our social and professional connections provide the foundation for so much of what we do both for fun and at work. Fundamentally, we rarely have fun and get stuff done alone—we do it in social and professional contexts.

When you connect via social login, you’re importing that context into the app to get up and running more quickly and to make the experience richer. Whether you have the latest hot social consumer app or a B2B enterprise app, integrating social login is one of the simplest things you can do to make every aspect of the user lifecycle more sticky and drive growth.


How to Use Social Login to Drive Your App’s Growth

5e074956ee8ba1fea26e30d28c190495?s=300 avatar

5e074956ee8ba1fea26e30d28c190495?s=300

Full stack developer creating content at Auth0. I love taking a deep dive into hard-to-understand concepts and creating content that makes them easier to grasp. In my free time you can usually find me reading, hanging out with my dogs, or curling in the squat rack.

Former Developer Content Manager

Holly Guevara

Easily add integrations to your application with Auth0 Marketplace


We're excited to announce a brand new way to **find and integrate third-party solutions** into your Auth0 application &mdash; [**Auth0 Marketplace**](https://marketplace.auth0.com)!

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## What is Auth0 Marketplace

At Auth0, we never want to keep you stuck in a box. That's why we hold **extensibility** as one of our core product capabilities. While the endless options for integration are an excellent way to customize your own unique solution, it can sometimes be difficult and time-consuming to figure out *how* to implement them. 

You've looked through the documentation, waded through Google search results, and still can't figure out the best way to integrate a third-party solution. **We hear you**, so we've put in the work to create a straightforward solution to this problem.

**This is where the Auth0 Marketplace shines.**

With the new Marketplace, you can integrate a third-party service with these simple steps:

- Head to the [Auth0 Marketplace](https://marketplace.auth0.com).
- Search the name of the integration you need.
- Click "Add Integration" or follow the walkthrough under the Installation tab to integrate.

And that's it!

Auth0 Marketplace aims to **simplify your development process** with a straightforward way to add an integration to your application.

### Why use Auth0 Marketplace?

Auth0 Marketplace makes it easier and faster to extend and customize your Auth0 solution.

🤞 **Trusted** &mdash; All of the integrations you find in the Marketplace are pre-validated by Auth0, so you know you can trust them.

🔎 **Searchable** &mdash; Not only can you easily search for an integration you want, but the Marketplace also makes it easy to browse for integrations that you may not even know you need! Browse through our trusted catalog of partner and third-party integrations to see how you can take your Auth0 solution to the next level with just a couple clicks. 

👥 **Open** &mdash; We want the Marketplace to work for you. Do you have an integration in mind that's missing from the Marketplace? We'd love to hear from you! You can [**request an integration**](https://community.auth0.com/c/marketplace/request-integration/89) in our Community forum, or even submit your own! All submissions will be tested and vetted by Auth0 so that you can feel safe using the Marketplace.

## Using Auth0 Marketplace Integrations

Let's see the Marketplace in action by **integrating the GitHub social connection**. This will allow your users to sign in to your application using their GitHub account.

First, make sure you <a href="https://auth0.com/signup" data-amp-replace="CLIENT_ID" data-amp-addparams="anonId=CLIENT_ID(cid-scope-cookie-fallback-name)">**sign up for a free Auth0 account**</a> if you don't already have one.

Next, head over to the [Auth0 Marketplace](https://marketplace.auth0.com/) homepage. Here, you have the option to **browse** through the categories on the left to discover ways to extend your solution or just **search** for the integration you already know you want.

Let's search for "**GitHub**". 

![Auth0 Marketplace GitHub integrations](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/351v5uHzNPkeE47679aBDa/6e923d270a47d62861334b463133d0ac/github-auth0-integration-search)

This gives you three options:

- GitHub Social Connection
- GitHub Enterprise Cloud SSO Integration
- GitHub Enterprise Server SSO Integration

Select the first option, **GitHub Social Connection**.

![Auth0 Marketplace GitHub social connection](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4V8Vp2nVjoVUHi8WA0K8dT/626e808cacc64c9e22ee0382d2a65700/auth0-marketplace-github-login)

This will bring you to the GitHub integration page, which contains the following information: 

- Description of the third-party integration
- Link to the third-party integration website and the privacy policy
- Link to the [support page](https://support.auth0.com/) for the GitHub integration
- Installation tab where you'll find instructions to add the integration
- An "Add Integration" button, which will take you to the Auth0 dashboard to install the integration

> ❗ Note: Every integration has its own support link. For partner integrations, you'll be taken to the partner website to receive the best support.

Click on the **Installation** tab, and you'll see a list of step-by-step instructions to integrate the GitHub login option into your application.

![Auth0 Marketplace GitHub social connection installation steps](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7r7vtrz8OmeglSi7LPyQY8/34ef5a8b0020221fdc25bc428b727c16/auth0-marketplace-github-installation)

This integration requires you to first set up a GitHub application. The integration instructions tell you exactly how to do this, so just refer to the steps there while setting it up.

For the Auth0 side of the setup, go back to the [Auth0 Marketplace GitHub integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/github-social-connection) and click on the "Add Integration" button. This will take you directly to the GitHub integration configuration page in the Auth0 dashboard. Continue to follow the steps listed on the GitHub Marketplace Integration page to activate the integration. 

Once you've finished configuring your GitHub options, click **Create**. 

You'll be directed to your Auth0 Applications list. To test that it works, select the **Default App** and click on **Try Connection** in the top right corner.

You'll be asked to authorize the Auth0 application to access the selected permissions, and if the connection works correctly, you'll see an "It Works!" page with the user profile information.

![Auth0 GitHub social connection authorization](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7oJ0wYLy9ro7Vajap1gpx5/88e9e7da76e4fcbd3e96c934d6e47e45/github-auth0-authorization)

![Auth0 GitHub social connection authorization](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7oCyzeToF0nd2pgQFIsL2Q/0ed02467307759262e91acb05c0c6daf/github-auth0-authorization-success)

And that's all! With Auth0 Marketplace, you were able to:

- Quickly find the integration you want
- Get help using the link on each integration page
- Follow step-by-step instructions to implement the integration

Go ahead and [test out some more integrations](https://marketplace.auth0.com) on your own and let us know what you think in the comments below!

<div class="webinar-card" style="background:#f4f4f4;padding:35px;margin-bottom:40px;">
    <h3 class="text-center">Upcoming Webinar: Auth0 Marketplace</h3>
    <p>Join us on <strong>October 7th, 2020 at 8 am PT or 4 pm PT</strong> for a live panel discussion where we introduce Auth0 Marketplace and discover how it can help you:</p>
    <ul>
        <li>Discover new identity solutions</li>
        <li>Extend Auth0 with trust</li>
        <li>Reduce the time needed to implement identity</li>
    </ul>
    <br>
    <div class="text-center">
        <a class="btn btn-success" style="width:80%;margin-bottom:5px;" href="https://auth0.com/resources/upcoming-webinars/auth0-marketplace-webinar?utm_source=auth0_blog&amp;utm_medium=intro_marketplace&amp;utm_campaign=marketplace_webinar"> 
            Register for 10/7 at 8 am PT</a>
        <a class="btn btn-success" style="width:80%" href="https://auth0.com/resources/upcoming-webinars/auth0-marketplace-webinar-session-2?utm_source=auth0_blog&amp;utm_medium=intro_marketplace&amp;utm_campaign=marketplace_webinar"> 
        Register for 10/7 at 4 pm PT</a>
    </div>
</div>

## Partner Spotlight

We want to give a huge shoutout to our Auth0 Marketplace partners! You can easily add any of these partner integrations to your application by visiting each of their linked integration pages.

### OneTrust

[OneTrust](https://www.onetrust.com/) is a growing leader in privacy management and compliance. 

With the [OneTrust Auth0 integration](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/onetrust-consent-management), you can easily add consent data to user profiles, automate compliance and privacy regulations, and give your users the power to control their own privacy preferences.

### Onfido

[Onfido](https://onfido.com/) is a leader in digital identity verification. With the Onfido integration, you can require your users to identify themselves during authentication, onboarding, or while performing any other high-risk actions. Onfido's robust technology can verify your users' real identities using a photo ID and facial biometrics.

Add Onfido to your application today by following the instructions on [Onfido's Auth0 Marketplace integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/onfido-identity-verification).

### ID DataWeb

[ID DataWeb](https://www.iddataweb.com/) is an identity verification and fraud detection service boasting over 70 verification options. 

Using the [ID DataWeb Auth0 integration](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/iddataweb-identity-verification), you can take advantage of ID DataWeb's verification workflows, robust management and reporting dashboard, and more.

### Scaled Access

[Scaled Access](https://www.scaledaccess.com/) is a cloud-based authorization platform that allows you and your users to manage access to protected content, data, or tools. 

Some of Scaled Access's extensive authorization offerings include relationship-based access control, fine-grained authorization, and more. You can integrate these advanced authorization offerings into your own application by visiting the [Scaled Access Marketplace integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/scaled-access). 

### Perch

[Perch Security](https://perchsecurity.com/) is a flexible 24/7 threat detection and response platform. By adding Perch to your application, you'll be alerted of threat activity on your network, receive extensive reporting based on Auth0 log data, and more.

Try out Perch today by following the installation steps on the [Perch Auth0 Marketplace integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/perch-security-log-streaming).

### Vouched

[Vouched](https://www.vouched.id/) boasts secure, real-time identity verification and end-to-end fraud detection so that you can verify your new users instantly. You can easily and accurately verify the identity of your users with the proprietary machine learning algorithms developed by Vouched. Facial recognition, liveliness determination, data extraction, IP address inspection, and more come together to power the Vouched validation process.

Visit the [Vouched Auth0 Marketplace integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/vouched-id-verification) to add Vouched to your application today.

### MyLife Digital

[MyLife Digital](https://mylifedigital.co.uk/consent-preference-management-for-ciam/) is a leading universal consent and preference management platform. With MyLife Digital, you can increase user opt-ins, boost user engagement, and be sure you're up to date with compliance.

Using the [MyLife Digital Auth0 Marketplace integration](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/mylife-digital-progressive-consent), you can add MyLife Digital to your application's login flow to include consent options for new and existing users.

### Criipto

[Criipto](https://criipto.com/) offers a simple way to set up and add e-ID services of the EU to your application. With Criipto, you'll have immediate access to Norwegian BankID, Dutch DigiD, Danish NemID, and many more. Once integrated, you'll be ready to accept e-ID logins within hours.

Get started with Criipto today by visiting the [Criipto Verify integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/criipto-verify-e-id) in Auth0 Marketplace today!

### Caisson

[Caisson](https://www.caisson.com/) makes it easy to know exactly who your users are by adding ID checks to your application. With Caisson, your users are validated during registration or login with the Caisson ID Check. Caisson will extract information from your users' photo ID (drivers license, passports, etc) and validate using their state of the art facial comparison algorithms.

You can add Caisson to your application now by visiting the [Caisson Auth0 Marketplace integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/caisson-id-check).

### Pulumi

With the [Pulumi](https://www.pulumi.com/) infrastructure as code SDK, you can create, deploy, and manage infrastructure on any cloud using all of your favorite programming languages.

The Auth0 Pulumi integration makes it easy to manage and deploy Auth0, enforce security, and automate everything from setup to testing to delivery. Get started with Pulumi by visiting the [Pulumi integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/pulumi) in Auth0 Marketplace.

### KaKao Login

Kakao Login is South Korea's largest mobile messaging app operator. It includes mobile messaging (Kakao Talk), gaming (Kakao Games), music (Melon), e-mail (Daum Mail), search (Daum Search), news (Daum News), and more.

Let users login using their KaKao account by visiting the [KaKao Login integration page](https://marketplace.auth0.com/integrations/kakao-login) on Auth0 Marketplace.

## What's Next?

We're so excited to get Auth0 Marketplace into your hands! We'd love to hear what you think about the Marketplace. Be sure to comment below with your thoughts or questions and **let us know any future integrations you'd like to see**.

This is just the beginning of Auth0 Marketplace, and we can't wait to see where we can take it with your feedback!

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


Introducing Auth0 Marketplace

diegopoza

System Engineer, geek, foodie, technology lover, speaker.

Sr Manager, Developer Advocacy

Diego Poza

Official UK Digital Marketplace accreditation makes it easier for public sector organizations to access Auth0’s identity and authentication management



Auth0 has once again been named as a supplier in the Cloud Services category of the G-Cloud 12 framework, part of the United Kingdom's official [Digital Marketplace for the Public Sector](https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/). G-Cloud accreditation prequalifies Auth0 to participate in public sector tenders for critical software and security services. It is the gateway to servicing government departments (such as HMRC) and non-governmental organizations (such as Homes England and the NHS).

This is the fourth year in a row that Auth0 has achieved G-Cloud accreditation, demonstrating Auth0's commitment to the vital public sector. This accreditation ensures continued access to Auth0's world-class security platform for public sector organizations in the UK.

## What Is G-Cloud 12?

The G-Cloud 12 framework helps ensure that public sector organizations have the ability to make informed and competitive choices in choosing cloud service providers (CSPs). The platform's internal marketplace of pre-negotiated service terms provides transparency on CSP pricing models and allows the public sector to avoid negotiating per-product contracts. This significantly streamlines the tender process, providing a base level of legal protection and pricing benchmarks for public sector entities. 

![Auth0 Search Results](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6njj9d9z8Ud2dgohq8Wv8l/ca3e6746ed06452932631bde00097f3f/01-auth0-search-results)

The framework clearly outlines pricing structures, security protocols, cost, platform compatibility, and more, serving as a central repository that makes it easy for public sector organizations across the UK to assess the cloud-based software tools available to them.

G-Cloud 12 encourages organizations to make the best choices for their own use cases, allowing them to use implementations that might not be feasible through a traditional government procurement system. As in the private sector, public sector software needs aren't one-size-fits-all, and pre-approved pricing structures make it easier to try software on any scale. The G-Cloud hub is a vital resource helping the public sector update their workflows faster and more cost-efficiently.

As the UK Government moves to better serve the public by making online services more available, protecting user identity is a critical security priority. Building identity solutions themselves can tie up valuable resources and expose public sector entities to risk, so they are moving toward utilizing standardized solutions such as those offered by Auth0. These offer world-class security, reduce risk, and free up internal resources for other key tasks.

For example, the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) is one of the few government departments in the country with its own in-house software development team. WMFS has been a leader in [creating award-winning digital applications](https://www.itproportal.com/features/how-open-data-helps-put-out-digital-fires/), including Tymly, a low-code, an open-source software platform that allows businesses to create and use flexible applications to gather, process, and distribute data.

However, rather than spend months building its own authentication system for Tymly, WMFS chose to outsource it. WMFS used the G-Cloud framework for its search, ultimately choosing Auth0's Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) to provide GDPR-compliant, cloud-based authentication for the Tymly platform. 

Using Auth0, WMFS can implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics, single sign-on (SSO), and social login to provide ease of access and the high level of security needed for public sector data.

## Recent Changes to G-Cloud Frameworks

The G-Cloud 12 framework is the 2020 update of the cloud services portion of the UK's Digital Marketplace, the central hub for approved services and suppliers operated by the [Crown Commercial Service (CCS)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service) since 2019.

The latest iteration is largely similar to G-Cloud 11, but with a few changes. 

New this year is a requirement that suppliers who hold or work with government data need to meet "buyer requirements in respect of AI ethical statements." The Government Digital Service (GDS) has joined with the Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI) to offer guidance on using AI in the public sector, with the goal of making sure "the public sector is leading from the front in the safe and ethical deployment of AI and other emerging technologies."

This year, G-Cloud 12 also requires in-depth service definitions for each listing explaining the service and how it works — something that Auth0 has always provided for its G-Cloud listings.

![Auth0 Digital Marketplace](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3ek6TCIybEXqkMBVOXpUhP/2d158a8b6285aa918bb42d73d77f0782/02-auth0-digital-marketplace)

G-Cloud 11 features about 4,200 suppliers and nearly 31,100 services, both an increase over G-Cloud 10. CCS has tracked spend data since the inception of G-Cloud in real-time via an [online dashboard](https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNTEyMTZhZDAtZGNiNi00OWQxLWI5ODYtMjg1ZWNlMmNkODVhIiwidCI6IjlmOGMwZDc5LTNlODctNGNkMy05Nzk5LWMzNDQzMTQ2ZWE1ZSIsImMiOjh9).

## Benefits of Identity Management in the Public Sector

The UK public sector has been criticized for being reactive to new technologies, which often doesn't take into account the complexities and sheer scale of public sector requirements. The G-Cloud regime is an ambitious program designed to help streamline the procurement of best in class CSPs &mdash; which, in the world of identity, means Auth0. 

Identity and access management are clearly critical issues for almost all public sector organizations, but adhering to the constantly changing standards is difficult when an organization is locked into a rigid software stack. Having the flexibility to pursue up-to-date software helps organizations nimbly respond to changing security needs and threats.

Auth0's ability to identify and protect against ever-evolving security threats and our agile development methodology ensures that our customers have accelerated access to security updates and enhancements. With our continued presence in the G-Cloud market, public sector organizations can also benefit from our expertise in this area. 

Our continued G-Cloud accreditation underscores our commitment to democratizing access to our software and mainstream security practices, much like the platform itself aims to improve accessibility and choice for the UK public sector.

## Auth0's Mission

We believe that world-class security protections don't have to be reserved for elite companies or users but should be applied in broad contexts and accessed on platforms such as G-Cloud 12. Auth0's mission is to provide users with secure access to any application with one click or less. Whether you're a public sector organization, a small business owner, or a security-minded user, Auth0 helps ensure that you can access the most up-to-date security standards with low overhead and a seamless user experience.

![Auth0 Identity Platform](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/469d5UiPrrjSZE0cDLMAbC/27a2b8459e326c9b052ab326ca6d34f8/03-auth0-identity-platform)

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


Auth0 named to G-Cloud 12 framework for fourth year in a row

joey devilla headshot 900px

I’m a Senior Developer Advocate at Auth0, and I like to work on various technologies. I’ve developed software for all sorts of platforms, from CD-ROM and the PalmPilot to my current area of focus, mobile phones, IoT devices, and AI. When I’m not looking for strange new platforms to write software for, I’m playing a strange old instrument — the accordion!

Senior Developer Advocate

Joey deVilla

Learn how Profile Enrichment and Progressive Profiling help you target customers more effectively

Good marketing hinges on communicating the usefulness of your product. That means knowing who your customers are and how they'll use your product.

But you can't tell your customers apart if they are all just a name attached to an email address. You have no idea what they need from your product, where they work, or who they are. If your company hosts videos for businesses, HR will use the product differently than developers. So why would you market to them the same way?

Profile enrichment and progressive profiling are two ways you can build a robust view of your customers to differentiate them. This will allow you to boost your marketing and sales techniques by appealing to who your customers are, and how they want to use your product.

![Progressive Profiling Separator 1](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3LgzjxxOCjpgPxIGVnyPum/c2a45e609bfae5429f85cac07712c4d5/02body)

## Progressive Profiling

[Progressive profiling](https://auth0.com/blog/progressive-profiling/) is a great technique for getting more information from your customers. Instead of asking your users a million questions when they sign up, you ask them a few questions each time they log in.

Think of it as making a little small talk with them every so often when they log on, rather than asking for a three-hour long conversation the first time you meet. So, when you ask questions progressively, you can get needed information without adding a lot of friction to your sign-up process (consider that [86%](http://www.sampleforms.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/How-to-optimize-registration-forms.jpg) of customers say that they will leave a website if the sign-up form is too long!).

For example, the first time someone logs in, you might ask for:

* Their name
* Their email address
* Their password

During their second login, or at purchase, you might ask for:

* Their address
* Their birthday
* Their phone number

On the third login, follow up by asking for:

* Their company
* How many people work for them
* Their industry

You can set up and customize a [progressive profiling strategy with Auth0](https://auth0.com/docs/user-profile/progressive-profiling#implementing-progressive-profiling-with-auth0). You can put in any questions in any order you want.

While progressive profiling is certainly a useful tool, you aren't going to get to ask users every single thing you want to know, no matter how many logins you spread it out over. When you want demographic data, that's when you turn to the raw power of profile enrichment.


![Progressive Profiling Separator 2](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4QLyxXCCZVqCrkR6sUP4g8/8dc592f919af025c8467cc723809d526/03body)

## Profile Enrichment

There is a lot of information out there about your users that your sales and marketing teams are probably itching to get their hands on. But just as you can't ask someone for all of it, nobody in your company is going to sit down and manually look up pieces of information to add to every profile, either. It's simply not possible.

That's where profile enrichment comes in.

Profile enrichment is when you automatically grab publicly available information and add it to a user's profile. You do this by integrating 3rd-party demographic data APIs into your application using [Auth0 Actions](https://auth0.com/blog/introducing-auth0-actions/). Actions are snippets of code that run at specific events in the identity workflow, such as when the user logs in or signs up for an account.

For enrichment, your Action would trigger an API that grabs the data for you, and then deposit that information into the profile that every user gets when they sign up through Auth0.

![Auth0 Action diagram for Post User Registration flow](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4pA9D9DqICIoC8dJcyfQX7/8d1850e82032c85c581141cb6ed9690d/post_user_registration_action_flow.png)

Let's say you wanted to enrich the profiles of your users beyond the basic information they provided when they signed up for their accounts. You could use an Action that triggers immediately after a user signs up for an account that connects to business-centered data APIs to gather additional demographic information about them: where they work, their role, how many people are in their company, and their work-related social media accounts. The Action would then add this information to the user’s profile.

Now you know how many employees their company has, where they're located, and what their job title is — all without forcing users to fill out a sign up-form.

![Actions Marketplace](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7jcBRZSw4P7uwsLHtanUtf/b8051b29d9aa27bce1e057ac651dae56/Actions_Marketplace.png)

There are a number of [pre-built Actions available in Auth0’s Marketplace](https://marketplace.auth0.com/features/actions), and you or your development team can build your own custom actions with Auth0’s built-in development environment and insert them into the appropriate point of the identity flow using our drag-and-drop no-code identity flow management interface.

## Marketing with Your Enriched Profiles

Keeping more information on your users turns them from a single datapoint into an actual human that you can connect with as more than just a generic customer. Your marketing and sales teams have plenty of options as to what to do with all the information that transforms users into people.

* **Personalize your emails.** From birthday offers to targeted onboarding, sending something other than another sales-y email will pay off. According to MailChimp, segmented email campaigns see about a [15% higher open rate](http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/effects-of-list-segmentation-on-email-marketing-stats/) across the board when compared to non-segmented email campaigns. So whether you're sending tips specifically to customer success reps or alerting your enterprise liaisons to new features in their plan, using segmented campaigns will help you reach customers.
* **Boost your conversions.** Let's say someone signed up for your free trial. Of course, you grabbed their email, worked your API magic, and came back with information on their company and position there. Now that you know they work for a mid-sized PR company, you can help your marketing and sales people connect with that user to help them realize the value of your product in the PR space. If they connect with questions, you can point them right to the things that matter most to PR people.
* **Customize your marketing campaigns.** When you have demographic data on users, you can translate that into better marketing campaigns. Maybe you find that 25% of users are startups with fewer than 30 people, or that the majority of your enterprise customers generate reports on a weekly basis. Or maybe you find that teen boys in cities use your app more than any other group. Any of these pieces of information can help you shape marketing campaigns that speak directly to the interests of those groups.

## Aside: Power Your Profiles with CIAM

Before you can build more detailed profiles of your customers, you need a way to give them secure access to your services, as well as govern, collect, analyze, and securely store that customer data. That’s what CIAM — Customer Identity and Access Management — is for.

CIAM sits at the intersection of security, customer experience, and analytics. Providing an easy, frictionless way for users to onboard and log in is critical for driving conversions and building customer loyalty. Protecting sensitive data from malicious intrusion and taking steps to prevent data breaches is central to a sound security policy and compliance with data privacy laws. And compiling user data into a single source of truth is essential to understanding your customers.

<iframe width="600" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/belLEwjr9zQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

CIAM has an increasingly central role in how companies create their digital identities and manage their customer relationships. Companies are allocating more resources to their access management solutions, either from day one or as part of a larger digital transformation.

[**Visit our CIAM page to find out more about how it can improve your customers’ experience while ensuring security.**](https://auth0.com/ciam) It’s packed with articles, reports, white papers, and everything you need to know about Customer Identity and Access Management.

## Conclusion

To market effectively, you need to understand both your product and your customers. Understanding your product is the easy part — you spend every day with it. But getting to know your customers is a unique challenge.

Yes, you can do focus groups and send out surveys, but neither of those will reach every single customer. When you institute progressive profiling and profile enrichment, you're guaranteed a window into every customer's identity. From there, it's a matter of putting that information to use so you can knock your marketing out of the park.

How Profile Enrichment and Progressive Profiling Can Boost Your Marketing

shafiq-shivji

Shafiq leads Product Marketing for Auth0's Ecosystem and Extensibility domains. He brings vast experience from previous roles as a Product Manager and Sales Engineer working in adjacent SaaS industries like machine learning, web/mobile apps, and communications. He especially enjoys the creative process of conceiving and taking high-impact products to market.

Product Marketing Manager

Shafiq Shivji

The right digital initiatives can turn your brick-and-mortar locations into your biggest assets against e-commerce competitors



It wasn’t long ago that showrooming — the tendency of customers to examine a product in a store and then go online to compare prices and make the actual purchase — was considered one of the four horsemen of the so-called retail apocalypse.

However, in recent years, savvy retailers have learned how to use showrooming to increase revenue. More and more [_success stories_](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2018/05/16/how-brick-and-mortar-stores-are-making-a-comeback-with-millennials-and-gen-zers/#54db375c1640) feature traditional retailers aligning their digital and brick-and-mortar operations, so each drives sales for the other. Instead of driving customers away, they’re building brand loyalty by creating tailor-made experiences online and in person.

Historically, retailers found showrooming so damaging and difficult to counteract because customers engaged in their browsing anonymously. Retailers had no way of understanding their customers’ behavior or of appealing to them once they left the store. This lack of shared customer data robbed retailers of the ability to leverage their unique advantages against e-commerce competitors. Now, however, more CTOs are recognizing that smart [_identity management_](https://auth0.com/retail/) is the key to keeping customers within the sales funnel, regardless of where they make a purchase. Below, we’ll discuss how to implement an approach to identity that helps your digital and physical stores feed into each other’s operations and drive revenue growth.

<div class="alert alert-info alert-icon">
  <i class="icon-budicon-500"></i>
 Security vs. customer experience has been a longstanding challenge in retail, but retailers no longer have to choose one over the other. <strong><a href="https://info.auth0.com/IdentityinRetailReport.html">Discover the intersection between CX and reliable security.</a></strong>
</div>

## Create a Single View of the Customer

If you want to turn showrooming to your advantage, you have to create a seamless customer experience across all touchpoints, thereby providing a more compelling, personalized environment than online price-shopping. Designing this experience first requires a comprehensive understanding of your customer.

Implementing [_social login_](https://auth0.com/blog/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/) across all your digital channels is a simple, efficient way to build a rich user profile. Social login confers several advantages, the first being that its simplicity increases the likelihood that customers will sign in since they don’t have to create a new set of credentials for your site.

Of course, customers who use social login then share a wealth of information about their attributes, interests, and location. Armed with this information, you can send more tailored and helpful recommendations their way—as well as guide customers back to your physical retail store. Social login is also crucial in creating the same experience across all digital touchpoints since their profile will be consistent regardless of where they sign in.

![Single view of the customer](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1Ro1NRBQRzpra6UhFFQDTR/74464aec53334c1931b02da0adbe4821/single-view-of-the-customer)

Building data-rich user profiles is only half the battle, though. That data can’t do anything to hang on to showrooming customers if it’s siloed on your digital storefront. To fully align your operations, it’s critical to integrate identity management with your existing CRM.

Auth0’s platform integrates with any CMS, analytics, or e-commerce platform, including [_Microsoft CRM_](https://auth0.com/docs/integrations/sso/dynamics-crm) and [_Salesforce_](https://auth0.com/docs/integrations/sso/salesforce). Integrating identity management with your existing SaaS tools enables you to share this single view of the customer with the systems that can put it to best use. For example, using [_geofencing_](https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/best-practices/geofencing-marketing/#) with your CRM can alert you to a customer browsing a store, with no need for login. Your sales team is now alerted and empowered by easy access to a customer’s profile. In some cases, you can even write a customized rule that if a customer enters and exits the store without purchasing, the CRM [_automatically alerts_](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform-release-plan/2019wave2/microsoft-flow/running-flows-geofence-generally) your digital marketing team to follow up with them.

The surgical precision of such a method is exactly the type of digital initiative that retail CTOs can get excited about; it’s not tech for tech’s sake, but a data-driven means of patching a revenue leak. Integrating customer data across channels is both cutting edge and a fairly simple way to streamline operations. When digital and physical stores share a rich and holistic view of the customer, it ensures that they are working collaboratively, not at cross-purposes.

## Introduce Endless-Aisle Technology

For a retailer, there’s nothing more disheartening than a customer who comes in search of a popular item, finds that it’s out of stock, and walks away saying, “I guess I’ll just order it on Amazon.” Endless aisle is the solution to this problem.

Endless aisle refers to the practice of providing customers with an in-store digital touchpoint from which they can order an unavailable product and have it shipped to their homes. Implementing endless aisle can be an effective method of wooing customers, even those who walked in only intending to showroom. For example, a touchscreen positioned next to a display can direct a customer to a “special release” version of the product available only through the retailer.

Endless-aisle tech also allows retailers to offer a wider variety of sizes, colors, or styles of any product, without the store having to stock them. It’s a way that CTOs can help achieve leaner inventory management without compromising on customer choice.

The possibilities expand further if you implement social login on your endless-aisle touchpoints since the reduced friction increases the likelihood that customers will actually use it to place an order. Auth0’s easy [_social login_](https://auth0.com/blog/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/) has been demonstrated to improve conversion rates and registration. When a customer logs in — even if they don’t make a purchase — you have a record of the interaction and can follow up with email and targeted ads.

Various retailers have experimented with different approaches to endless aisle, from installing kiosks to setting up tablets to using “beacons” in store aisles to send [_push notifications_](https://blog.getenjoyhq.com/the-3-golden-rules-of-push-notifications/) directly to a customer’s smartphone. Regardless of which solution makes the most sense for your business, Auth0’s platform is device-agnostic, so using identity to make a purchase is as easy in the store as it is on a mobile app or website.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Learn about endless-aisle technology and how it can help you woo customers."/>

## Use Customer Data to Facilitate Reverse Showrooming

To fully seize on the revenue-driving potential of showrooming, you shouldn’t treat it as a one-way street, steering customers from brick-and-mortar locations to digital stores. Instead, you can use effective identity management to create a cyclical relationship between touchpoints, playing to the individual strengths of each.

Using your digital presence to encourage customers to show up in person is a phenomenon known as webrooming, or “[_reverse showrooming_](https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/03/19/call-it-reverse-showrooming-these-companies-are-ca.aspx).” With your single view of customer identity, you can send personalized email reminders, offers, and targeted ads to drive shoppers to stores.

Certain types of retailers are particularly well-positioned to capitalize on webrooming because their products all but require customers to try them on or sample them in person. [_Ulta Beauty_](https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2019/03/15/ulta-beauty-ulta-q4-2018-earnings-conference-call.aspx), for example, credited its in-store sales increase to “incorporating relevant product recommendations and replenishment reminders across digital channels” in what it called a “reverse channel shift.”

Customer data can also drive revenue and cut costs in ways that go beyond traditional marketing initiatives, as in the case of returns. A [_2018 CBRE report_](https://www.supplychain247.com/article/holiday_season_heightens_challenges_of_online_returns) found that returns comprise 8% of sales for brick-and-mortar retailers, while online shoppers return goods at levels from 15% to 30%. But with effective identity management, you can turn this behavior to your benefit. With well-organized, accessible data, you can direct customers to their local store to return the product they bought online. Not only does this allow for immediate restocking and save on shipping costs, but it also gives you a chance to make another sale once the customer is in the building. It’s just one example of the many creative, often overlooked, yet valuable ways a robust identity management system can allow CTOs to directly contribute to cost savings.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Learn how webrooming uses your digital presence to encourage customers to show up in person to your store."/>

## You Can Turn Showrooming from a Problem into a Solution

As long as you’re keeping customers in your sales funnel, and not losing them to the competition, showrooming can deliver some surprising benefits. For example, when a customer tries on a pair of shoes in the store but purchases them online, they’re far less likely to order the wrong size and put the retailer through an expensive returns process. However, unless your physical and digital channels are fully integrated, you’d have no way of knowing the important role your store played in that transaction, so you might mistakenly conclude that the store isn’t contributing to sales.

Once you have an identity management system in place that de-siloes your customer data, you can ensure that just because a customer walks out the door, you haven’t lost the chance to make a sale. If you’re in search of digital initiatives that directly address business needs, partnering with an identity management platform like Auth0 is an easy way to turn a loss into a win. Reach out to an [_Auth0 resource_](mailto:%20sales@auth0.com) for customized insight.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />


How to Leverage Showrooming Behavior to Increase Revenue

ghazi-masood

I'm a seasoned business leader with nearly a 25 year track record in Sales running and managing teams of all sizes working in leadership positions for world class organizations.  Nowadays, you can find me at Auth0 leading all aspects of Revenue growth  for the Americas business.

Auth0 Vice President and General Manager, Americas.

Ghazi Masood

It's not magic. Startups can succeed if they have infrastructure that enables them to scale quickly and securely.


Unicorns (startups valued at over $1 billion) depend on rapid, uninterrupted growth. With just a [1.28% chance](https://www.cbinsights.com/research/unicorn-conversion-rate/) of achieving this coveted status, you need to set yourself up for success from the very start.

Your growth begins with creating infrastructure that fits your needs. To realize your vision for the impact you want to have on the world, you need to assemble systems that enable speed and efficiency — and can also rapidly adapt to change.

It's no easy feat. [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/next-billion-dollar-startups/#56e3d2514441) believes Auth0 might be figuring it out. We wanted to share some of the insights and advice gleaned from our journey. While there's no one-size-fits-all solution, this piece offers entrepreneurs and their early technical teams advice on when to build or buy their tools, how to become a leader in customer engagement, and how to effectively manage a growing number of users as you scale. 

Nailing these critical components of growth early on will provide a solid foundation from which to take off.

## When Should You Buy, and When Should You Build?

As you grow, you'll need ways to store data, collaborate with co-workers ([particularly remote ones](https://auth0.com/blog/we-are-thankful-for-these-benefits-of-working-remote/)), and understand and connect with your customers. You’ll also need systems for [managing your finances](https://pilot.com/blog/merakis-hans-robertson-on-building-a-startup-finance-team/), hiring and human resources, and, of course, [security](https://auth0.com/security/). 

When confronting these challenges, teams at early-stage companies face trade-offs between [building or buying their own tools](https://auth0.com/blog/when-to-build-and-when-to-buy/).

![Startup Unicorn in the build vs buy tools/tech analysis.](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1wwxoR3yvEUhr4CBpXZ2UA/b7ae38df1cf649e93a5b91021a3833fa/the-build-vs-buy-analysis)

On the one hand, built tools have the potential to fit your specific use case and needs. If you create them in-house, your developers will have an intimate view of your team's mindset and working style. Though it might be time-consuming, building your systems fully on your own might pay off in the long run as you’re not incurring third-party fees.

On the other hand, when you're in the midst of rapid growth, [buying can be faster to implement](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-roi-how-are-you-calculating-your-build-formula/). The upfront cost might be a challenge, but you won’t tie up your tech talent for months on end and can begin using your tools for faster ROI.

An approach that many startups take is to build certain components in-house and find trustworthy partners that understand their business and need for flexible solutions to fill in critical gaps.

Here at Auth0, for instance, we offer a [“buy and customize” model](https://auth0.com/learn/identity-faster-buy-customize/) for our identity solutions that can immediately address core issues like federation and offer teams the ability to refine other processes like user authentication. 

Auth0 Extensions enable third-party integrations that extend Auth0's base identity product. With Extensions, you can authorize users with groups, roles, and permissions; manage custom social connections; import and export existing users; create a single sign-on dashboard; and more.

The ability to [customize and integrate](https://auth0.com/docs/integrations) can help reduce business risk and close sales. 

As you grow and take on new [enterprise level clients](https://auth0.com/enterprise), striking the right balance of powerful and flexible tools becomes even more valuable — helping you to meet, and even exceed, demands of increasingly complex service-level agreements.

## Unicorns are Always on the Front Lines of Customer Engagement

Before long, you'll have too many customers to reliably speak to or survey. The importance of [feedback, metrics, and iteration](https://www.profitwell.com/blog/choosing-the-right-saas-metrics-for-different-stages-of-your-company) will require sophisticated analytics tools that can capture granular user data. 

![Startup Unicorn analyzing customer data in their decision-making](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/m8HYvKo8fo1kVSN6go1wA/ab8df220f045c43ace7f96ab0cc8611d/analyzing-customer-data-is-key)

Infrastructure that enables [social login](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) can provide a stage for these analytics. Every time a user authenticates to your site, you can learn more about who they are and what they want — all while making it easier for them to log in. 
Social logins [reduce friction](https://auth0.com/blog/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth//) so that users don't have to create new accounts to join your site. Less friction can result in lower customer acquisition costs, maximizing the value of your marketing efforts.

With social login, you can correlate [users' logins](https://auth0.com/docs/identityproviders) with other data, such as pages visited and shopping cart additions. You can even do [sentiment analyses](https://auth0.com/blog/4-ways-to-calculate-your-customers-happiness/) that search their login source, such as Twitter, for positive or negative mentions of your company. 

The sooner you know more information about someone, the better you can [personalize the onboarding experience](https://blog.clearbit.com/customized-saas-on-boarding-actions-person-role-referring-link/) and support retention down the line. 

In addition, Auth0 enables [progressive profiling](https://auth0.com/blog/progressive-profiling/), which builds up an image of each user as they interact with your product. Users authenticated through Auth0 each get a profile, which fills in with information from their identity provider, attributes created by [_Rules_](https://auth0.com/docs/rules), and information directly from users.

## Unicorns Always Efficiently Manage Their Users

This rapid model of change means that startups are constantly under pressure to spend resources on improving their core product. Speed must, however, match security. The more you grow, the more vulnerabilities you're likely to have, and the better target you become for hackers. 

Over half of SMB breaches result from [negligent employees or contractors](https://keepersecurity.com/assets/pdf/Keeper-2017-Ponemon-Report.pdf), but you can mitigate these threats by authorizing different levels of access for different people working to improve your products.

Identity is one of those areas that might seem like an afterthought; however, it becomes essential as your company grows. Authenticating new employees while you let go of others, and tracking all of your temporary contractors, consultants, and partners can become so complex that it drains technical resources from core product development. Losing sight of this, however, can result in gaps in communication, project delays, and even [data breaches](https://auth0.com/blog/what-is-a-data-breach/).

Outsourcing your identity needs is one way that many teams remain focused on their core business while easily and securely [managing different levels of access](https://auth0.com/user-management).

Auth0 profiles enable you to see detailed information on each of your users, such as authentication details, devices, login histories, and locations. With a comprehensive user management dashboard, authenticating users won't slow you down. 

Managing users on your own will cost you time, but a security breach can cost you your company. If growth is your goal, then defense and recovery need to be as important as your offense.

## You Want to be a Unicorn? Make Innovation + Infrastructure Work Together

Methods that made your company successful in its first year might not work in its fifth. If you want to be a unicorn company, your growth depends on flexible and powerful infrastructure that directly supports your [bold startup vision](https://www.intercom.com/blog/why-startups-need-a-strong-vision/) — even as it changes over time.

![Startup Unicorn innovating and growing thanks to powerful infrastructure](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4hSxXMHqxWgOdSTyUs57G1/f2e706df4f7956e9b6506681ac1e76ec/innovation-and-infrastructure-supports-growth)

No one can guarantee your success; however, finding the right balance of partners and tools to support you *will significantly increase your chances*.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />



So You Want to be a Unicorn?

Consolidate and categorize your critical consumer data for better insights and enhanced security.



The world is obsessed with data. Companies, governments, academics — everyone is racing to collect and compile the largest data sets, believing the hype about their enormous value. While it's true that data can provide shrewd insights and help in directing an organization's strategy, [research is beginning to show](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/03/data_is_a_toxic.html) that more data isn't always better. In fact, there can be serious diminishing returns if your organization isn't set up to handle the volume of information, ranging from botched business analytics to irreversible damages from a data breach. 

Master data management is a set of tailored processes and techniques that allow teams to consolidate their critical streams of information into a single file. This helps ensure that each IT system, platform, and architecture across your entire company can view and work with data in a coherent way. Moreover, a centralized management system allows for broader and tighter security measures to mitigate the risk of hackers acquiring user information in certain formats.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Master data management is a set of tailored processes and techniques that allow teams to consolidate their critical streams of information into a single file."/>

## What Is Master Data Management?

Consider an example: You’re a fast growing e-commerce company. Every time a customer makes a purchase you collect their basic personal information, credit card information, a log of what they purchased, when, and occasionally from what device (e.g., mobile or desktop). This is all in addition to data you’ve already amassed on how often this user has visited your site, clicked through items, and placed items in their online cart. 

Since you're continuing to expand, you’ve also cataloged all of your products—how many you’ve sold, how many are back-ordered, what your top sellers are, and during what time(s) of year you have the highest turnover. As you continue to scale, you’ve brought on new employees and store their credentials to determine their access to the company's sensitive information. You keep records of other physical assets, such as equipment and inventory. These inputs keep multiplying as you grow.

In an organized format, this information should underpin a deep understanding of your customer base and support the development of targeted marketing campaigns. It should provide the foundation for calculating your inventory turnover rate and return on assets (ROA) and display a host of growth metrics to stakeholders, such as customer acquisition cost (CAC) and monthly recurring revenue (MRR). However, at the moment, it's decentralized and in a variety of formats, including separate databases, spreadsheets, and even physical reports.

Well-orchestrated master data management sets clear protocol for how data is amassed, in what formats, and sets firm policies for who can access sensitive information.

## Consolidating User Data With Auth0's Social Login

Auth0's social login feature provides an initial access point for master data management. Auth0 integrates with [30+ social providers](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) to streamline the collection of user data, incorporating specific security measures throughout the process.

Social Login requires three simple steps:

1. A user enters your application and selects their desired social network provider (e.g., Facebook).
2. A login request is sent to the social network provider.
3. The social network provider confirms the user’s identity, allowing new registration and access to your application. 

Integrating with social network providers allows your organization access to additional up-to-date information, such as the new user's interests and recent events attended, location and check-ins, birthday, and even shopping history. This rich stream of information is located in a single place and format. 

With streamlined information, you can create a comprehensive view of each of your customers:

![Consolidating User Data With Auth0's Social Login](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4QBUhWDjRe0EeeJLfIa0lb/b4c52da794dd0878f9df360331237730/Screen-Shot-2017-07-12-at-11)

A detailed understanding of your users will form the basis for showing them more personalized content.  

Social Login also includes email verification. This means that the onus is on the social network provider to deliver you real email addresses, mitigating your risk of allowing dishonest users into your application. In 2016, Deloitte fell victim to a [fake account](https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/10/05/facebook-fake-hacks-deloitte-employee-iran-cyber-spies-suspected/#72914004188c). This made-up persona lured a Deloitte team member to open malicious documents, introducing malware designed to steal credentials into its system.

Employing a vetted identity access tool like Social Login will automatically streamline and secure an enormous volume of customer data. It will store the information in a standard format and create a cohesive view for your administrators to manage and for other team members to use for company insights.

## Master Data Management and Complying with GDPR

Master data management is even more important now that [GDPR finally entered into force](https://auth0.com/blog/data-privacy-doesnt-stop-at-the-eu-border/). These new rules apply to all those in the EU who control data and/or undertake data processing. Consumers have greater rights under GDPR including:

* A new Right To Data Portability (i.e., the ability to copy and transfer personal data easily from one IT environment to another)
* An expanded Right To Be Forgotten (also called the Right to Erasure)
* A more comprehensive Subject Access Right (i.e., a clear means of requesting and obtaining all personal data from an organization)

Even if you're located outside of the EU, [several related policies](https://auth0.com/blog/gdpr-effect/) are taking shape worldwide to dovetail with these stringent guidelines. In particular, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, California, and New York have all [forged ahead with rules of similar intensity](https://auth0.com/blog/gdpr-effect/). 

In order to be in compliance with fast-approaching regulatory changes and avoid [fines](https://auth0.com/blog/get-ready-for-gdpr/) in the event that your team is audited and not up to code, it's important to adopt a strategy for master data management. Regulators will want proof that you are organized, that you can quickly locate personal data when a customer requests it, and that you have efficient procedures in place to remove portions or entire personas.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="In order to be in compliance with fast-approaching regulatory changes and avoid fines in the event that your team is audited and not up to code, it's important to adopt a strategy for master data management."/>

You will also have an enormous advantage over your competitors if you can explain how you manage their personal data. As users increasingly understand that they have the ability to determine what companies see and how they use sensitive information, they will likely have more questions about the process and how it relates to their security. [Few companies](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/315652/how-gdpr-could-benefit-publishers-educate-with-op.html) are positioned to describe their techniques in detail. If you are one of the few who has implemented a tight and well- functioning master data management strategy, you can distinguish yourself and build user trust.

## Conclusion

Master data management will be unique to each company, based on its structure, supply chain, the categories of data it collects, and the ways in which team members use it. However, starting with a strong and secure access point into your system will go a long way towards streamlining highly sensitive points, complying with stringent regulations, and consolidating layers of rich information into a practical view for more targeted strategies.


Breaking Down Master Data Management

A comprehensive view of your shoppers will create a secure and practical foundation for change.



With its 2017 acquisition of [Whole Foods](https://auth0.com/blog/why-amazon-and-whole-foods-will-change-how-you-shop/), Amazon is changing the competitive landscape in grocery. Now backed by the latest technology, Whole Foods recently announced an overhaul of [90%](https://diginomica.com/2016/06/24/whole-foods-is-replacing-up-to-90-of-its-systems-strong-focus-on-cloud-and-data/) of its operations, replacing legacy systems with digital ones. In order to remain competitive, other grocers must follow suit.

For small or medium-sized grocers, undergoing a [digital transformation](https://auth0.com/blog/3-iam-examples-to-support-digital-transformation/) can be daunting. In essence, it is a renewal of everything from back-office operations to how you engage with your customers. Particularly in an industry that relies on physical goods, this change might seem overly complicated and impersonal; however, with a clear set of steps in place, any team can make the change efficiently, remain relevant, and even deepen interactions with shoppers. 

The first step in making the shift to a digital business is implementing a solid [customer identity and access management](https://auth0.com/b2c-customer-identity-management) (CIAM) system. This is the lynchpin of any digital strategy: accounting for and having a clear view at any time of all of your customers will lay the foundation for creating a more secure and personalized shopping experience. 

While many tools are at your fingertips to craft a CIAM system, a [Social Login feature](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) will not only ease your customers' registration process but will also provide you with a rich amount of data to drive a more personalized shopping experience.

## Streamline Your Registration Process with Social Login

[86 percent of this survey's users](http://www.webhostingbuzz.com/blog/2013/03/21/whos-sharing-what/) have historically reported being bothered by having to create new accounts on websites. It's easy to click out of a site when the registration process is taking more than a couple of minutes. Social Login can, therefore, be key to avoid losing potential customers.

Social Login is also a more secure method for your shoppers to engage online. Studies show that [65% of internet users](http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/01/26/americans-and-cybersecurity/) do not practice safe password management techniques, preferring to memorize or write down a password instead. This can lead to having to constantly re-create passwords and making your sensitive data more vulnerable to hackers. 

Auth0 supports over [30 social providers](https://auth0.com/docs/identityproviders), including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and PayPal:

![Auth0 supports over 30 social providers, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and PayPal.](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5xb5T1z986ue58ss0iQTwe/fe48650ec1e99ed688660101a483d78c/social-providers)

You also have the option to add any OAuth2 Authorization Server you would like.

Despite its powerful capabilities, Social Login is [simple to install](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/). For grocers just beginning to explore the shift to digital systems and operations, adding Social Login is a logical first step.

After adding Social Login, when a user arrives at your store's login page, she or he will see something similar to the option below, depending on the providers selected:

![Auth0's social login](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3dJCVUsWtaTo0WecrY5tp/4e17015afd471d64deeab4e99945bc43/lock-theme-labeledsubmitbutton)

Instead of asking new and/or existing users to re-upload personal information, Social Login relies on existing information from provider profiles — making access a simple click.

## Use First Party Data to Personalize the Shopping Experience

Consumers find what they're looking for only [10%](https://hbr.org/2016/02/making-personalized-marketing-work) of the time when interacting with online content. And with U.S. marketers spending close to [$60 billion](https://www.emarketer.com/Article/US-Digital-Ad-Spending-Will-Approach-60-Billion-This-Year-with-Retailers-Leading-Way/1012497) annually in digital advertising, the potential to waste valuable funds by mis-targeting your customers is high. 

Social Login affords you the possibility of having a comprehensive view of each of your customers to better understand their needs. 

![Social Login affords you the possibility of having a comprehensive view of each of your customers to better understand their needs.](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/vTZ5GG5u9V0EZAR5NTAHe/cd1f6c04f4f46c789acdf9b010b5fdc7/comprehensive-view-customers)

Pulling existing information from the social provider can provide important details such as the user's full name, picture, gender they have identified, employment information, geographic location, and interests. You can even see their behavior on your site, i.e., have they logged in just once or are they a regular visitor? This wealth of data allows you to provide a [richer customer experience](https://auth0.com/blog/how-profile-enrichment-and-progressive-profiling-can-boost-your-marketing/). 

For example, some social networks log a user's search history. Spending time understanding what these customers are exploring can allow you to market specific products to them. If a set of customers repeatedly looks for “gluten-free,” your store might consider piloting a gluten-free section of snacks in a visible spot. 

If sales are strong, you could expand this to a larger aisle and/or diversify your offerings into gluten-free baking ingredients and condiments. A strong foundation of user data captured at the login stage not only helps you expand revenue streams but also ensures that you tailor your store's offerings to shoppers' preferences and health needs.

Social Login can rapidly bring your organization up to speed with industry leaders by allowing for hyper-targeted marketing and the ability to build a more loyal following.

## Know Your Customers. Prevent Fraudulent Users.

Making sure you know who is using your system at any point is critical for keeping consumer data safe. [Fake profiles](http://www.newsweek.com/hackers-use-fake-profiles-attractive-women-facebook-spread-viruses-814293) have historically lured company employees to divulge classified information and/or provide access to servers. If a cybercriminal is able to make it through your system in this way, the potential for a data breach is high.

A critical component of a Social Login feature is [email verification](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/). Since each social network provider tries to verify its users' emails, it is likely that if the provider shares this information, you will get an authentic account. Knowing in advance that your new registrants have already been authenticated can give you peace of mind as you move your operations to the cloud.

Some providers like Twitter will not share their users' email addresses. In these cases, you can also incorporate an additional [email verification](https://auth0.com/rules/email-verified) rule. [Auth0's Rules](https://auth0.com/docs/rules/current) are arbitrary bits of JavaScript code that can be used to extend Auth0s default CIAM capabilities when authenticating users. To set up force email verification on the Auth0 platform, simply create a new rule, then copy the code below. Be sure to replace the placeholders with appropriate values:
Adding an email verification rule to Social Login will ensure that your new user's information is both authentic and current. When they are shopping for coupons, updating their account and/or payment information, signing up for store events, or engaging with other content you've posted — you can be sure they are who they say they are.

## Tools for Teams of All Sizes

Social Login and force email verification are tools that are available for teams of all sizes — not just the industry titans. While Whole Foods may have paved the way for a digital shift in grocery, other players have the ability to implement and get creative with the registration process and incorporation of shoppers' data, whether at the login stage or in [smaller marketing campaigns](https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/11/21/lidl-lets-customers-vote-christmas-prices-social-media-first/). These tools can be initial, concrete steps in a broader CIAM strategy — which will serve as the foundation for a full digital transformation. 


How Social Login Can Pave the Way for a Digital Shift in Grocery

Unlock more value with Social Login, Progressive Profiling, and Profile Enrichment with Auth0.



Strong customer intelligence systems have been [proven](https://www.metrilo.com/blog/why-is-customer-intelligence-important-growing-ecommerce?ref=9d75) to drive growth. Collecting valuable data about your users' app behavior, including their login time(s) and duration(s), purchase histories, locations, and personal information, such as gender and interests, will go a long way toward crafting highly targeted marketing strategies and relevant product updates.

But what is the most efficient way to go about doing this? How do you collect this information without bothering your users? More importantly, given all of the pushback against Facebook and Cambridge Analytica's [collection of user data](https://auth0.com/blog/cambridge-analytica-and-facebook/), how do you assure your users that their information is safe and that you remain transparent about how you are capitalizing on it?

Outsourcing your customer intelligence can give you peace of mind, knowing that the process for amassing the data is well organized, efficient, and secure. Relying on a professional provider wholly focused on this task will also help you comply with rapidly approaching regulatory deadlines, like [GDPR](https://auth0.com/blog/get-ready-for-gdpr/) in Europe and a slew of [related laws](https://auth0.com/blog/gdpr-effect/) worldwide. If you're found to be out of compliance (i.e., your customer data is not secure), your business could face fines of up to €20 million or 4% of the global annual revenue (whichever is greater) — and this doesn't account for lasting damage to your brand and reputation.

Figuring out your system for customer intelligence will help you avoid potentially irreversible mistakes and underpin a strong foundation for growth.

## 1. Start with Social Login

[Social Login](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) is a feature that allows companies to have a comprehensive view of each of their customers and better understand their needs. By incorporating data from providers like LinkedIn, Amazon, Google, and many more, you can build a full image of these individuals as consumers — adding not only their names and photographs but also the specific brands they follow:

![Social login combines data about your user from multiple sources](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/60MmcpnBYSRRfFKw3sO0MU/880a80f9bff7e4b12882c20673a54a49/social-login-incorperates-data-from-multiple-sources)

A manager like Auth0 supports 30+ social providers. Depending on your customer base and the type of information you're seeking, you might choose Facebook for personal data or PayPal for purchase history.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Auth0 supports 30+ social identity providers allowing you to access a comprehensive view of each of your customers and better understand their needs."/>

![Auth0 supports 30+ social identity providers](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/15gOn35FNBq4hd4TgUFhsk/765b3a31cb1bb1894d3319fd8ab594c9/auth0-supports-over-30-social-identity-providers)

It's relatively simple to add a [Social Login feature](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) to your app. In Auth0’s Management Dashboard, click Connections and then Social. From there, just flip on the switch of the selected social network provider, and choose the applications you would like to use from this provider. Since each provider has already verified the users on their platform, this cuts down on the risk of letting in fake accounts.

Incorporating Social Login can be a simple fix that opens the door to numerous avenues for growth. For example, if you're creating [email campaigns](https://auth0.com/blog/5-killer-email-strategies-for-lifecycle-marketing/) to engage and upsell your current customers, it's critical that these be personal and not generic. Relying on subtle details that you've picked up on your customers via Social Login can make or break your ROI on such a campaign.

## 2. Incorporate Progressive Profiling to Collect Data Gradually

To reduce friction on your platform and avoid wasting users' time by having them fill out lengthy forms, [progressive profiling](https://auth0.com/blog/progressive-profiling/) is another tool for gradually building up a customer's profile each time they interact with your product. For example, you might begin with something as simple as requesting their first and last name, along with an email address:

<p style="text-align: center;">
  <img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/24vgqp2L8eKEFwIjSazJ2s/9db1aa44455fda4f477db2d8d587b6aa/auth0-supports-progressive-profiling-to-build-up-user-data-over-time" alt="Auth0 supports progressive profiling to build-up user data over time" width="323"/>
</p>

From there, you might ask for additional details on the second or third login, such as:

* Address
* Birthday
* Phone number

All of these answers come together in a full view of each user:

![Auth0 user profiles have a data rich user experience](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4Q8gl93fS4HAr59B7hlVoT/38e5e4218bc1ddb6d57e765a8314ee93/auth0-user-profiles-have-a-data-rich-user-experience)

Rich user profiles can allow you to brainstorm appropriate product updates. For example, if a major subset of your users is located in a particular country, you might consider adding a language option to your app or website to smooth their experience.

User details can be as granular as the types of devices users are logging in with. You can harness this information to optimize the content you publish. If the majority of users are on mobile devices, you might consider full-screen advertising formats, such as Instagram, that can amplify your message and provide a more immersive brand experience.

If you are organized with your customer intelligence, opportunities to be creative with your user data are vast.

### 3. Add Profile Enrichment to Your CRM

To build an even more robust customer view, automatically grab publicly available information with a [profile enrichment](https://auth0.com/blog/how-profile-enrichment-and-progressive-profiling-can-boost-your-marketing/) tool. Integrating third-party data APIs, such as [Clearbit](https://clearbit.com/) or FullContact, into your application will allow you to cast an even wider net for customer information.

The quickly growing CRM tool [ProsperWorks](https://www.prosperworks.com/), for example, works with the [FullContact Person API](https://www.fullcontact.com/developer/customers/prosperworks/) to allow users to add names, photos, and additional data from social profiles into sales contacts.

<p>
  <img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5IvzWDciRT2xHmmm1YeoL2/2e041b63a64178e9b8ed0deffc48d659/display-contact-details-next-to-messages-for-a-richer-understanding-of-your-users" alt="Display contact details next to messages for a richer understanding of your users" />
  <small>
    <a href="https://www.fullcontact.com/developer/customers/prosperworks/">[Source]</a>
  </small>
</p>

When an email exchange appears with an external contact, that contact's personal details are displayed next to the message, allowing a sales representative to have a richer understanding during an exchange and brainstorm ways to connect on a more meaningful level. Deeper engagement between sales and prospects or converted customers will only support acquisition and retention down the line.

At the end of the day, a CRM tool helps you manage data quickly and effectively — but you can utilize it for far more than the sales function. Adding a customer intelligence feature on top of an existing CRM will expand your knowledge base and help you gain more value from what you had considered a single-function piece of software.

Your ability to cross-check each of your customers with profile enrichment will cut down on fake or unwanted accounts. Each time you expand your understanding of your users with a new data capture, you can weed out profiles that return errors or anomalies — or investigate them further.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Auth0 can give you #CustomerIntelligence and allow you to innovate like never before. Closely observing user behavior can bring to light new ideas for your business."/>

## Innovate with Customer Intelligence

Enhanced customer intelligence systems can help your company innovate in myriad ways. Closely observing user behavior can bring to light new ideas for your business. The online dating app [Bumble](https://bumble.com/), for example, recently picked up on the trend that many of its users were also searching for new jobs and friends and exchanging money with subscriptions on other apps. This allowed Bumble to roll out a new line of services:

<p>
  <img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5p18jiIuKSSXSCG68SkNuN/f4a426ea2aae9716fd684b3c74cca594/bumble-releases-new-products-based-on-user-trends" alt="Bumble releases new products based on user trends" />
  <small>
    <a href="https://bumble.com/">[Source]</a>
  </small>
</p>

Deliberate, professional, and tight customer intelligence can allow you to develop entirely new revenue streams. While you can try to do this in-house, many find that it is an excellent capability to turn over to an external provider that spends 24/7 staying on the cutting edge of their specific software, making sure it is as efficient and safe as it can be for customers and end users.


3 Tools to Improve Your Customer Intelligence

In advertising, Data is king, but that doesn't always mean it's put to good use. Until now.



Companies today are generating and collecting more data on their customers than ever before. This information is a cornerstone of contemporary advertising because it offers companies a way to better tailor every aspect of their content to prospective customers. This means smarter ad spending and more cost-effective campaigns.

But understanding what types of data your company can collect is not easy. And how you can use that wealth of information only complicates matters.

Looking at today's consumer information landscape, the easiest place to start crafting better ads through consumer information is by utilizing first-party data. Not only is first-party data readily available to companies, it can be easy to collect. And using it to boost ad revenue doesn't have to be complicated. It's about being savvy with your data and building on what you already have.

## What is first-party data?

First-party data is data that you collect yourself. It could be data about how your customers use your product or website, demographic data, information you collect from surveys, social data, pretty much anything that you collect firsthand yourself.

![First-party, Second-party, Third-party data](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7EZnv3zqZsGN2OvCpGNeqi/a2577697e133cce911ccbffd987ddb79/partydata)

This is different from second or third party data because there's no intermediary between you and the information. Second party data is first-party data that is not your own. You might acquire it in a business partnership, for example.

Third party data is data that you have no affiliation with but is available to you, usually for purchase. For example, an organization could buy first party data from different companies, repackage it together, and then sell it. Usually, you have little idea where, exactly, this data is coming from.

If you set yourself up well, first-party data is your highest-quality, cheapest option for data collection.

### First-Party data in advertising today

As software becomes more and more embedded in advertising, first-party data's role will increase. Programmatic advertising, wherein software is responsible for automating key parts of running an ad, like choosing target demographics, is already on the rise. This isn't as complicated as it sounds, tools like [AdEspresso](https://adespresso.com/), which automates Facebook ads, have been on the market for years. “More than [50%](http://west.gannettuscp.com/images/uploads/attachments/eMarketer_US_Digital_Display_Advertising_Trends-Eight_Developments_to_Watch_for_in_2016.pdf) of all US digital video ad spending will flow via automation in 2016,” and advertisers will be reliant on data to help these programs make better decisions.


As much of the leg work of advertising is automated in this way, knowing more details about your consumers will allow you to maximize the power of automation. A unified view of subscriber demographic and behavior will be critical to make this strategy relevant. Consumers are already shifting to expect relevant, timely advertising across channels, and a mix of information and programming will be key to delivering this in the future.

So, now that we know what first-party data is and how it's important, let's look at how you can use it to make better, more cost-effective ads.

### 1. Leverage social login

Social logins are great for both consumers and companies. With a good identity management system, they're easy to add and can be a great way to start getting serious about your first-party data.

An important way that social login helps you better collect information yourself is by adding a layer of transparency. Consumers generally feel uncomfortable if they find out a company is gathering all their information to do what they will with. A prime example of this? Unroll.me [selling](https://theintercept.com/2017/04/24/stop-using-unroll-me-right-now-it-sold-your-data-to-uber/) their first-party data to other companies, like Uber, causing widespread outrage.

Social logins give your consumers choice, because they can opt-in to what information they want to share. When a user signs in for the first time, you can notify them what data you'd like to receive (e.g. location, friends list) and have them check or uncheck what they feel comfortable sharing.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Social logins give your consumers choice, because they can opt-in to what information they want to share."/>

This builds trust with your consumer, while still allowing you to get the data you need.

Take, for example, the Washington Post. You can sign in via email, but also with your Amazon and Facebook accounts.

![Login Options](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4Iwoow7H7rWUyqtZLotIt8/20234d1b2a9c9e710886051f679c5f07/loginoptions)

This helps their ad strategy, because it allows them to look at what customers are interested in. What they're [liking on Facebook](https://www.sellbrite.com/blog/generating-facebook-ad-content/) and buying or [looking at on Amazon](https://www.sellbrite.com/blog/amazon-ppc-7-secrets-for-maximizing-return/) directly informs the ads that subscribers get on the Washington Post.

This kind of data could even help broader efforts, not just hyper-personal ads. As a hypothetical example, if frequent readers of the “economy” section check in to restaurants on Facebook more than any other section, then restaurants who want to advertise with the Washington Post can ask for and receive prime ad space because the Washington Post has the data to inform that choice.

### 2. Link accounts to nail personalization

For accurate first-party data, you want every user to be associated with one profile in your system. This is where you can store information about them to draw from when making any number of decisions, so you want to make sure that it's a good representation of your customers.

If someone logs in via Facebook one day and email the next, they could end up with two profiles in your system. This will skew your data and make it harder for you to make accurate insights, you need to [link those accounts](https://auth0.com/docs/link-accounts) together into one central profile.

It can also negatively impact the way you remarket to customers. If you don't have accurate information of a customer's use or purchase history, you may end up annoying them by blasting their social account with ads for things they've already purchased while logged into an account via email.

![Central Profile](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4mqgavgS2k1YYLvDCf0tQx/70e9b65e5b60b3d446e88f909a23ac56/centralprofile)

Relevance and personalization are key when it comes to ads today. Nobody wants to see irrelevant ads, and people will mark ads on social as annoying or unnecessary when they get flooded by them. Some will even go so far as to use an ad blocker, which proves how impersonal and spammy ads can seem.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Relevance and personalization are key when it comes to ads today."/>

You can cut down on irrelevant ads by linking accounts because you have a full picture in your first-party data on any given customer. This helps you serve each individual user better, but also helps you [better identify trends and behaviors](https://www.interana.com/blog/10-stories-companies-changed-users-behavior/) that you would otherwise botch because it looks like several people are doing the actions of one.

### Provide an omnichannel experience

Social login also allows your users to have the same [customer experience](https://www.zendesk.com/resources/why-companies-should-invest-in-the-customer-experience/) when logging in across any device. This keeps your brand consistent and helps make you more customer-friendly. While retailers are still figuring out how to provide a truly seamless experience, [omnichannel](https://auth0.com/blog/the-three-best-ways-to-create-the-single-vision-of-a-customer/) is the future of how you interact with your customers.

You can keep tabs on users easily across channels. If they're using social login on their phone one day and their computer the next, you can keep all that information stored in their profile. All their consumer data, that first-party data you want, is consistently paired with their profile with no effort on your end.

This means it's easier to serve the right ads to the right people and it's also easier to see how each individual is reacting to the ads. This feeds directly back into the personalization that's so important in digital advertising.

## Better segmentation, higher rate cards

When you're a media publisher, first-party data can help not only with how you understand your own customers, but also with how third-party advertisers access them as well.

When you've collected first-party data on your customers, you can better segment your audience. Demography, common interests, device usage, likes and dislikes, among other things, can help you understand exactly what your audience wants and what they're looking for, which helps you make third-party ad placements more effective.

Rate cards for publications can be segmented in any way the publication chooses. Some choose to specify primarily on placement, like the Food Network Magazine:

![Rate base](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6FyYat4AK7oJrWY8f8E2vN/86dd25d2238b188d77426719d2db295c/ratebase)
_Source: [foodnetworkmediakit.com](http://www.foodnetworkmediakit.com/digital-edition)_

Others, like Adweek have a variety of options for placement and targeting:

![Ratecard](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1iYZXqejhWgKliCBwyrIf8/4946d739c2614d4ef2e967eed3fa5295/ratecard)
_Source: [adweek.com](http://www.adweek.com/files/2014-Digital-Rate-Card-101414.pdf)_

When you have the information on your users to be able to offer more effective ads on your publication or site, that can enable you to increase your ad rate cards, which is great for your business. You can use your data to segment the ads you run by age, demographic or behavior and charge more for people that buy more, or are more suited to a particular advertiser's product.

Advertisers will be more confident that their placement with you is a good fit and will provide a return on investment. And your consumers will be more intrigued by ads instead of feeling annoyed by them. It's a win-win-win.

## Knowledge is power

Now more than ever before, information is free-flowing and available. For advertising, it's all about harnessing the power of the consumer to give them better, more relevant content. With programmatic advertising on the rise and [more user data available](https://www.interana.com/blog/understanding-value-data/), working existing systems to their fullest potential with first-party data is the easiest way to get started bettering your advertising.


3 Key Strategies for Leveraging First-Party Data to Improve Your Ads

An inside look at how tech companies can improve their security and what you can do to help yours, too



Sometimes, it's easy to assume that big-name companies like Google or Microsoft have flawless security practices, but even the mighty make mistakes. While they generally do a good job of building robust security protections into their products, things invariably fall through the cracks, whether it be through weak user authentication or overzealous app permissions.

These issues underscore the importance of rethinking how users and companies should approach their security concerns. An overreliance on the security practices of the tech giants fosters complacency, so it is important to take the lead in your own security needs. Not only does this protect your interests, it will allow you to learn from the mistakes of leaders and iterate on your own practices.

In this article, we'll explore some of the most significant oversights, and what you can do to mitigate these risks without giving up the services you need.

## Notable security oversights

When one looks at Google's machine learning capabilities or Apple's refined ecosystems, it's clear that tech companies are powerhouses of innovation. When using a product like Google Assistant, it's easy to assume that the company that produces it has limitless resources.

However, it's still worth having a critical eye directed towards them. Products like Google Assistant or Siri raise important privacy considerations that can have a substantial impact on consumer adoption.

Even the most careful tech giant occasionally lets a security concern slip through the cracks. Keeping track of how major companies conduct security can highlight relevant issues within your own businesses, so here are a few that will encourage you to reexamine your security practices.

**Apple:** Apple's iCloud offers a seamless integrated experience across its entire product line. However, there have been reports of issues with unvalidated email addresses in iCloud. InfoWorld columnist [Andrew C. Oliver](http://www.infoworld.com/article/3112124/security/the-catch-22-with-apple-security.html) recounts a personal experience where his Apple ID username got mixed up with another user's account due to inconsistent email authorization standards that grandfathered unvalidated credentials.

**Takeaway:** Routine maintenance of inactive or unvalidated accounts is crucial as authentication practices evolve, so companies should make this cleanup a priority.

**Microsoft:** Outlook native clients are among the most used in the world, due to the platform's top-tier productivity and enterprise integrations. But their lack of OAuth protocol support means that they can access both your username and password, unlike Apple Mail or Thunderbird, which reduce scopes to just email read/write access.

**Takeaway:** [OAuth](https://auth0.com/docs/protocols/oauth2) allows users to grant limited account access to a client, without exposing their credentials. This is so important that identity management services, like Auth0, are unable to support mail clients, like Outlook, which don't support the protocol.

**Google:** Google Docs is an essential productivity lifeline for millions due to its stability, flexibility, and shareability. However**, **Google's recent phishing problem on [Google Docs](https://auth0.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-google-docs-phishing-attack/) has highlighted the limitations of its walled garden, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of OAuth. The phishing attack masqueraded as a shared document email from Google, using a third-party extension that Google then asked users to authorize. Google promptly removed the extension, and its use of OAuth meant that username and password credentials were kept safe from the attacker.

![Shared with me](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4e3jhTeNc5pTKkrTRHQ2cz/41f8b4d19ae2ccbeeca5325ff8619ad2/sharedwithme)

**Takeaway:** An incident like this shows the need for improved third-party extension oversight on Google's part, but also highlights how users need to be more vigilant when approving account access requests.

These security weaknesses show that even the biggest tech giants have plenty of room for improvement. It's easy to assume that they can take care of all of your security needs, but ultimately that the responsibility comes down to you. Luckily, adhering to security best practices isn't as difficult as it seems.

## What should consumers do?

Ultimately, you are your own best advocate. For most consumers who use the basic functionality of these services, these authentication weaknesses probably have little effect on their daily usage. But being familiar with basic security practices can help you feel and stay safe.

Nearly everyone is guilty of scrolling past terms and conditions and clicking “I agree” without reading them. However, sifting through that legalese of **terms and conditions can help you find out how your data is being used.** From there, you can make the determination if you agree with the security and privacy standards of the platform. (And companies: urge your customers to read your terms and conditions, and clearly inform them of any changes.)

![Microsoft Services agreement](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/b7BCfs8GOdrIDmAvNvkmp/66fa4c13737021e1ff4051934370c9de/servicesagreement)

When you download an app or start a service, **pay close attention to the permissions** it requests. You may be surprised by the extensive access some apps require, such as SMS or camera permissions. If you take the time to examine these, you can protect yourself from being subject to potentially malicious overreach and data collection.

With users juggling multiple accounts for their personal and professional needs, understanding authentication standards is probably the last thing on anyone's mind. They shouldn't be though because following authentication and [**identity best practices**](https://auth0.com/blog/personal-information-security-identity-guide/) can help make sure that you know how to mitigate future breaches, whether they be caused by yourself or a major company.

## Best practices for companies

![Cryptocard two factor](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6iDTy3NGtXPuBJrG6iBZ9x/8b81cd0ae85b44fb0d61200d26456e18/CryptoCard_two_factor)

Security oversights by tech giants are more difficult to look past when you're an SMB or enterprise setting. Companies have a whole host of additional privacy concerns, from financial data to intellectual property. Security oversights can limit what types of software and integrations you feel comfortable using at your company. In order to avoid costly compliance issues, consider following these best practices.

Companies should **stay on top of the latest security lapses**, and constantly try to contextualize them alongside their own platform. This may be daunting given the scale of these lapses, but you have to be proactive in order to identify potential weaknesses in your own security setup. Failing to keep up with security threats can put your customers and company at risk.

Consider **customizing enterprise agreements.** Before jumping into an agreement with a tech behemoth, see if you can get more favorable privacy terms or block weaker authentication protocols. A company shouldn't settle for the default terms under the assumption that it'll serve their needs right off the bat.

**Embrace outsourcing for issues relating to user authentication and identity management.** Much like Apple or Google can't commit 100% of their resources to security, your company's resources are better spent on innovation rather than security maintenance. Services like Auth0 help centralize and strengthen your [authentication needs](https://auth0.com/blog/5-reasons-your-company-needs-identity-and-access-management/), since Auth0 is in a position to commit all of their resources to maintaining the most up-to-date standards.

Unfortunately, as we all know, security mistakes happen. User behaviors and the technologies we rely on for everyday operations change at a rapid pace. By learning about security risks and seeking the assistance of specialists when you need to, your new commitment to security should ensure that you're always at the highest standard of security.

## Embrace proactive security knowledge

It is easy to become complacent when delegating all of your security needs to titans like Google and Apple. While they produce great products that we can't live without, there is always room for improvement on the security front. By taking the initiative to learn where and when these products fall short, individuals and companies alike are able to take a proactive stance on their security needs.

The benefits of taking a proactive approach to security also have a broader impact — they force you to constantly iterate and respond to the latest changes in the realm of security and authentication. Doing this not only improves safety outcomes, it will also ensure that you think more critically about your own use cases and products. With this, you'll be able to handle any future problems with ease.


How to Protect Yourself From Security Oversights

Learn how to leave usernames and passwords behind with social and passwordless authentication.



**TL;DR:** Learn how to leave usernames and passwords behind with social and [passwordless authentication](https://auth0.com/passwordless) with Auth0's [Identity and Access Management solution](https://auth0.com/user-management).

---

After months and months of developing your new app, it's finally ready to launch. You feel confident that you've got all the features and functionality you need. But with all of that work, you've let your login fall by the wayside. A simple a username and a password will do the trick, right?

Wrong. In the age of modern authentication, you need to go beyond usernames and passwords to protect customer information and give users frictionless logins that they trust. Embracing login as identity management rather than as a simple gate to access is imperative.

Here's what you need to know.

## Implement Easy Login Options for Users

Between the growing number of passwords users have to remember and the multiple steps needed to reset a forgotten password, users are demanding easier login options.

Making it as easy as possible for them to visit your site means they'll [stick around longer](https://blog.fullstory.com/the-best-products-will-win-7ec43a93186#.onq2r8lau). By removing the friction usually associated with activating a new account or simply signing in, you'll reduce your abandon rate.

Using modern authentication practices, [Auth0](https://auth0.com) has built a system that can be quickly integrated into your site to give users the easy access they've been asking for. [Social login](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) and [passwordless authentication](https://auth0.com/passwordless) are two options that provide freedom from usernames and passwords.

With social login, users confirm their identity by using a third party site that has already vetted their authenticity.

![Social authentication](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1OFiTKkAcgA3DECIVuNOKL/05681fd900210170f791822e35124c2c/social-login)
[Source](http://tradablebits.com/social-login)

It takes less time for users to set up an account and profile since their personal information is automatically filtered into the new site. Almost everyone has at least one social media profile, so it's perfect for users who want one fewer password.

With passwordless authentication, users are sent timed codes via SMS or email to access their account.

They only need to have immediate access to their phone or email to quickly access their account. Again, this saves them time and effort while their account remains accessible and secure.

## Provide Enterprises with Centralized Oversight

Enterprise customers need to maintain control of their many employees' login access. They want a secure, central place to manage user identity, and often want the benefits of [Single Sign-On (SSO)](https://auth0.com/learn/how-to-implement-single-sign-on/) as well.

They also need you to be able to comply with whatever their given enterprise connection is, whether that's AD, LDAP, ADFS, SAML, Ping, or Google Apps. These connections can be difficult and time-consuming to implement, and that's _without_ looking at getting everything up to specific industry standards.

If identity isn't part of your core business, scaling up to support enterprise authentication only serves to take attention away from what you do best.

In this case, enterprise federation is the best approach for enterprises. Scaling up to an enterprise platform is quick and easy to set up with an [IAM (Identity and Access Management) solution like Auth0](https://auth0.com). Once up and running, it's easy to choose who will manage and monitor access based on identity, add and remove users, manage login requirements, and run any necessary analytics.

From the Auth0 dashboard, go to Connections > Enterprise to view available connections or to create new ones.

![Auth0 enterprise connections dashboard](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7EuJvrcgzvbIjrFpZCtWfj/af08c4fa5429eb1ea34cdb5e5fee87b1/auth0-enterprise)

With this platform, enterprises can monitor user accounts from one central dashboard.

## Make Security a Top Priority

Both users and enterprises want secure logins. Users expect a certain level of protection from the sites they access and enterprises want to secure their internal data. Unfortunately, simply relying on the username and password approach might not get you very far.

Just look at companies like [LinkedIn](http://fortune.com/2016/05/18/linkedin-data-breach-email-password/) and [Yahoo](https://auth0.com/blog/yahoo-confirms-data-breach-of-half-a-billion-user-accounts/). They are some of the largest companies out there, but were still susceptible to data breaches. User data was easily accessed by hackers due to inadequate security parameters.

That's why modern authentication is so important. Instead of building a system from scratch, you can access ready-made platforms that provide encryption, brute force protection, constant monitoring for attacks, and the ability to promptly notify users.

With Auth0's approach to modern authentication, we take away the need for in-house custom builds that don't meet compliance standards.

For example, as part of a suite of [security features](https://auth0.com/security), Auth0 offers anomaly detection to fight against brute force attacks. If suspicious activity is detected, users are notified immediately. All of Auth0's automated blocking features are built with resilience in mind.

Another important security feature is credential and user login monitoring.

![Auth0 log tracking](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6rogIjpng0uNPfQHJ8rILE/16474d490bddf002418e9d26660af093/auth0-logs)

From the dashboard, you can easily track logs and be confident in knowing that security compliance and regulations are automatically taken into consideration and deployed across your site.

## Moving Forward with Modern Authentication

Now more than ever, authentication involves more than just supporting usernames and passwords. Modern authentication puts the emphasis on creating and protecting identity for users, whether they're an individual using an app or enterprise employees.

Usernames and passwords aren't going to disappear, but authentication is complex, and it's only going to get harder to manage.

There's no need to struggle to keep up using in-house solutions when you can rely on experts that live and breathe identity management. Your IAM solution can support everything you want to offer your users, while letting you focus on the product that got users to sign up in the first place.

## Aside: Securing Applications with Auth0

Are you building a [B2C](https://auth0.com/b2c-customer-identity-management), [B2B](https://auth0.com/b2b-enterprise-identity-management), or [B2E](https://auth0.com/b2e-identity-management-for-employees) tool? Auth0, can help you focus on what matters the most to you, the special features of your product. [Auth0](https://auth0.com/) can improve your product's security with state-of-the-art features like [passwordless](https://auth0.com/passwordless), [breached password surveillance](https://auth0.com/breached-passwords), and [multifactor authentication](https://auth0.com/multifactor-authentication).

[We offer a generous **free tier**](https://auth0.com/pricing) so you can get started with modern authentication.


Go Beyond Username/Password with Modern Authentication

Find out if social login is really all it's hyped up to be.



<div class="alert alert-info alert-icon">
  <i class="icon-budicon-500"></i>
  <strong>Forrester Consulting analysis determines that using Auth0 can yield a 548% ROI and $3.7M in identity-related savings. Read the full report: <a href="https://resources.auth0.com/forrester-tei-research-case-study/">Total Economic Impact of Auth0</a>.</strong>
</div>

---

The popularity of social login is on the [rise](https://auth0.com/blog/analysis-of-social-connection-data/).

For users, it provides a seamless, frictionless way to login to the sites and apps that they use most frequently.

For developers, it provides a way to quickly implement a secure signup and login system—and creates tons of opportunities for [personalization of the user experience](https://auth0.com/blog/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/).

This seemingly win-win scenario can smell a little suspicious—is social login too good to be true? More to the point, is it really as **secure** as everyone thinks?

The answer is yes: social login really is secure. But even the most secure method of authentication is still liable to user error and risk.

## Social Identity Providers Give You Peace of Mind

One of the biggest value propositions of social login is also the reason that it really *is* as secure as you think it is: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and others have millions of users.

With these three social login options you could give the vast majority of your user base a social option for logging into your app. The more popular the site, [the more popular](https://auth0.com/blog/analysis-of-social-connection-data/) the social login integration.

![Social Connections Growth](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7z3u1Jt4uVfYFqmijIkXV7/2d3690bd9607723f9f7d10eb8462b15a/social-connections-usage)

Because of all those users, companies of that size also have a ton to lose in the event of a password breach, and they employ some of the world's top security experts to make sure that never happens.

Smaller sites just don't have the same kinds of incentives pushing them to put security first. Sometimes even well-known sites, like [Gawker](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2484486,00.asp), just aren't thinking that someone would try and compromise their users' information. That's largely because they don't face the same kind of public cataclysm that a Google or a Facebook would face in the same kind of situation.

When holes in the security systems of larger, more well-known sites are discovered, they do tend to make the news—which can easily bias you to think that they're insecure. The truth is that these incidents are almost always the results of white hat hackers exposing flaws for the purpose of bolstering their reputations or collecting on lucrative [bug bounties](https://www.facebook.com/whitehat).

## Password Reuse is Still a Problem

The one major flaw with social login, if we're pragmatic about how users really behave, is password reuse. 59% of people have reported using the same password [across multiple sites](http://betanews.com/2015/07/30/59-percent-of-consumers-reuse-passwords/). That makes their accounts significantly more vulnerable, because a breach anywhere can lead to multiple compromised accounts.

This problem gets worse when you're talking about a social account linked to many different apps and sites. If you use the same password across different sites, and your password is hacked on a site that takes security less seriously, attackers could gain access to your main social media account. If you're using that account to log in elsewhere, you could suddenly have a huge problem on your hands.

Back in 2011, when the service Trapster was hacked, [that's exactly what happened](https://www.troyhunt.com/only-secure-password-is-one-you-cant/) to its users—and not just current ones. Some people had tried Trapster years prior, deleted the app, and Trapster was still storing their passwords.

![Account Hacked Tweet](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4ejqbLLm1yrFGABGcvhq0e/64e5444226c01f68c994fc43805709ee/10701069image2)

The lesson here is that if you're using social login, you should absolutely make sure that the password you're using for your Google/Facebook/etc. account is unique from all the other passwords you use.

Better yet, implement multifactor authentication on that account. Most people don't want to have MFA on every single account that they have across the internet, but if it's at least implemented on your main Google or Facebook account, then you have a higher bar of security on the one site or app where you need it the most—you'll have the best annoyance:value ratio that you can get.

## Privacy Settings Need to be Monitored

Social login gives app developers great opportunities to personalize the user experience and leverage [mobile analytics](https://amplitude.com/mobile-analytics) for growth. But all that power has to come in balance with users' needs for privacy.

When you permit one of these platforms to act as your identity provider on other sites, they're accessing your personal data and giving other apps access to that personal data. Staying on top of the permissions you're giving out is good security practice—as many learned in 2016 when Niantic's Pokemon GO requested (and received) full access to [their Google accounts](https://auth0.com/blog/pokemon-go-catches-all-your-data/).

Google offers a [dashboard](https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions?pli=1) to remove apps connected to your account, though you can't refine permissions—only block apps out completely.

![Google Social Settings](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4QeYwT5n6i8R96fae3fMqx/84643db13a07867d088d3fc59d5344ef/google-settings)

With Facebook, you have some more flexibility about the kind of information that you want apps to be able to access. Scroll down on the Settings → Apps page and you can specify on a granular level what you want other developers to be able to pull from your profile:

![Facebook Social Settings](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7mxP6IHqzBylUCOZ43dVLx/506e8c5ecaa21bea10e0c08339a55688/facebook-settings)

You can do this on an individual basis the moment you choose to sign up for a site through your Facebook login.

![Social Login with Indeed](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4BtG9huMRE4nhSbq7CTnyB/2e6847ff291cfa8e05820b753f952085/sign-in-indeed)

![Social Settings with Indeed](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4uzm3xy3hTPEDS1VpQf6uY/302079823a561ae25c540a38d9627ac2/login-with-facebook-settings-indeed)

![Social Settings with Indeed](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6dBi2UcrAdLbRWnQHmCnng/de3c8d1248e7f95f7ce9662c83e109b5/login-with-facebook-settings-indeed-2)

The best way to know what you're giving up to the different apps you use is simply being vigilant when you sign up for a new service. Inspect the permissions that you're granting, and if anything looks really off, reconsider whether you need this particular tool. No app should be asking for full access to your Google account, as Niantic did. Doing so puts your sensitive personal information in the hands of a service you know little about.

## How Auth0 Can Help Securely Implement Social Login

In the end, social login is only as secure as your implementation of it. Auth0 has a wide range of SDKs to make it easy to get social login working with a wide range of providers, as well as a fully extensible system for creating custom social connections with [any OAuth2 provider](https://manage.auth0.com/#/extensions).

![Auth0 Social Identity Providers](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/X5lUZPGfPpofTqNzCCIzj/43c561cc387ec8cc8c7c46c0f5e89688/providers)

Setting up social login in Auth0 is easy:

1. In your Management Dashboard, navigate to Connections and then Social.
2. Find the social provider you want to use and hit the toggle.
3. Select your application where you want to use the provider.
4. Select the attributes and permissions you want to get from the provider, and hit save.

What are you waiting for? [Check it out today](https://auth0.com/) 😄

> [Auth0 offers a generous **free tier**](https://auth0.com/pricing) to get started with modern authentication.


Social Login On The Rise: How Secure Is It?

How to collect, send and analyze your user data for growth



## Intro

Companies that want to make data-driven decisions know they need to learn as much about their users as they can.

But great companies know that the best way to get that data is not by asking — it's by building a funnel to collect what's already out there quickly and efficiently.

That's why social login is one of the most powerful analytics tools. With the option to log into your app using a social media account they've already set up, users save themselves the annoying step of creating a new username & password combination. And you save them the effort of telling you who they are.

> Auth0 can help B2C companies to enrich the profile of their customers through an easy to use [Modern Customer Identity Management solution](https://auth0.com/b2c-customer-identity-management).

With a few simple tools and pieces of code, you can use the information they've made publicly available to make better decisions about your marketing, product development, and user retention.

Let's go step-by-step through what you need to start using your user data better, from signup and login to analysis.

## 1. Set up social login

The first thing you have to decide is what kinds of social media platforms you want to support with your social login.

![Auth0 social login providers](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3q11XLTm7JG97Zui0NdS83/69c34978d5b60a9fbfaceb42459b0334/enabling-social-connections)

Auth0 [can automatically reconcile](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) the different headers and response formats of different social APIs, so as the developer you don't need to think about which you (technically) can and can't enable.

What you should think about are the kinds of social profiles that *your* users want to use.

Both in terms of popularity and data accessibility, both Facebook and Google are sure bets. The two of them together represent [more than 3/4](https://auth0.com/blog/analysis-of-social-connection-data/) of all social logins on the web. If you're working on a fundamentally social app — messaging, communication, entertainment — it would be hard to avoid putting them on your site.

![Social connections share per provider](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3vNr6zEmmR9W9U0j52Mm0E/cbc264516146f645308b16d47edfda78/social-connections-usage)

But if you're working on anything specialized — from developer tools, to marketing & sales, to file-sharing — there are going to be other, better options for getting the best kind of user data.

Imagine pulling info on all of a dev's repositories and commits from their Github or Bitbucket profile, or automatically integrating all of a user's Dropbox uploads into your teamwork collaboration tool.

Imagine pulling your new signup's social graph so you can show them all their friends using your platform, or immediately give them content that they can start interacting with.

The social logins you support shouldn't just make it easier for people to login — they should integrate with platforms that will help you build a better user experience.

## 2. Set up rules

The kind of information you collect is going to vary depending on how you want to use the data and the platforms you're collecting it from, but you'll collect it in the same way regardless.

Let's say your users are signing up with your Twitter social login option and you want to collect what country is the user in. All collection in Auth0 is done through [Rules](https://auth0.com/docs/rules) — snippets of Javascript executed on the backend every time a user is authenticated.

![Auth0 rules](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3X9mYmKdLN5YJIpXikBfOZ/38fc334ebbd71a1a4112ade6ab5cf6ba/rules-diagram)

If you wanted to collect the current country from all users logging in through Twitter, you'd set up the [add country to the user profile Auth0's Rule](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/add-country.md) and then use this line of code to get the country:

```javascript
var country = user.country;
```

Using Auth0's [Segment Rule](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/src/rules/send-events-segmentio.js), you could then send that data to [Segment](https://segment.com/) and then to the email marketing tool of your choice:

```javascript
function (user, context, callback) {
  if (context.protocol === 'delegation') {
    return callback(null, user, context);
  }

  const request = require('request');

  if (context.stats.loginsCount > 1) {
    sendEvent('Logged in');
  } else {
    sendEvent('Signed up');
  }

  function sendEvent(e) {
    const sioTrack = {
      userId: user.user_id,
      event: e,
      properties: {
        application: context.clientName
      },
      context: {
        ip: context.request.ip,
        userAgent: context.request.userAgent
      }
    };

    // Segment API returns 200 OK for all its request. For possible errors
    // you must use Segment's Debugger (https://segment.com/docs/libraries/http/#errors)
    request({
      method: 'POST',
      url: 'https://api.segment.io/v1/track',
      headers: {
        'Content-type' : 'application/json',
        'Authorization': 'Basic ' + Buffer.from(configuration.SEGMENTIO_WRITE_KEY + ':').toString('base64')
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(sioTrack),
    });
  }

  callback(null, user, context);
}
```

You could use additional rules to collect each user's [estimated median income](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/add-income.md) (based on their IP address's zip code), link accounts with the [same email address](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/link-users-by-email.md), and more.

## 3. Analyze and use your data

Auth0, as a clearing house for all user authentication in your app, can operate as a single source of truth for user data. When data is being drawn from discrete user identities, with Rules being executed on the backend, there's no risk of errant tags or false positives.

That makes Auth0 particularly suited for analysis that demands a high level of precision. Imagine you want to [segment all your users](https://auth0.com/learn/customer-loyalty-program/) by age, income, gender, region, interests, and marital status in order to analyze who should receive a pre-launch email announcing a new coupon code.

With social login, enriching your user profiles with that kind of data is painless. And there are endless applications for this kind of enrichment:

* **Personalized onboarding**: If everyone from product managers to marketers is using your SaaS product, use role attribution to send people to onboarding flows designed for their specific needs.
* **Retention analysis**: Segment your user base by activity and look at what kinds of users tend to stick around the longest, who takes the most advantage of your app, and who you should be trying to re-engage.
* **Building customer personas**: Grouping your customers into representative personas is a powerful way to focus your marketing and product development efforts. But you don't need to do it all by intuition when you can use analytics to build quantitative models of who your users are, where they come from, and what they do.

Auth0 users can use our pre-built Rules to send user information to a variety of applications. Besides that, we have recently released a product called [Auth0 Extend](https://auth0.com/extend/). This product enable companies to provide to their customers an easy to use extension point that accepts JavaScript code. With [Auth0 Extend](https://auth0.com/extend/), customers can create custom business rules, scheduled jobs, or connect to the ecosystem by integrating with other SaaS systems, like Marketo, Salesforce, and Concur. All using plain JavaScript and NPM modules.

### Slack

![Slack logo](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3FBbv0miQbV6ajzFeflMSF/b7e8bf323c2359cdc97b94a5d0db016e/slacklogo)

[Slack](http://slack.com/) is more than a communication tool. With the right integrations, it can become more like a hub for all your critical business activities.

You can notify all users of a Slack channel of your choice with our [Slack Rule](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/slack.md):

```javascript
function(user, context, callback) {
  // short-circuit if the user signed up alreadyif (context.stats.loginsCount > 1) return callback(null, user, context);

  // get your slack's hook url from: https://slack.com/services/10525858050var SLACK_HOOK = 'YOUR SLACK HOOK URL';

  var slack = require('slack-notify')(SLACK_HOOK);
  var message = 'New User: ' + (user.name || user.email) + ' (' + user.email + ')';
  var channel = '#some_channel';

  slack.success({
   text: message,
   channel: channel
  });

  // don’t wait for the Slack API call to finish, return right away (the request will continue on the sandbox)`callback(null, user, context);
}
```

###   Mixpanel

![Mixpanel logo](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7Eh1Ul4ndgBu5SIJiDVc7Q/14e22613eb16bc4eae46f3ece65a8ec2/Mixpanel)

[Mixpanel](https://mixpanel.com/) is an analytics provider that allows you to look at user behavior in both mobile and web applications. You can look at how specific features in your app are performing, what sets apart the users who come back to your app day in and day out from those who don't, and more.

The [Rule](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/mixpanel-track-event.md) below sends a `Sign In` event to Mixpanel every time a unique user logs into your app. Check out Mixpanel's [HTTP API](https://mixpanel.com/help/reference/http) for more information.

```javascript
function (user, context, callback) {

  var mpEvent = {
    "event": "Sign In",
    "properties": {
        "distinct_id": user.user_id,
        "token": "{REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_MIXPANEL_TOKEN}",
        "application": context.clientName
    }
  };

  var base64Event = new Buffer(JSON.stringify(mpEvent)).toString('base64');

  request.get({
    url: 'http://api.mixpanel.com/track/',
    qs: {
      data: base64Event
    }
  }, function (e, r, b){
      // don’t wait for the MixPanel API call to finish, return right away (the request will continue on the sandbox)
      callback(null, user, context);
  });
}
```

### Fullcontact

![Fullcontact logo](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5xAKnaWPGMi374xPXDh8VV/9b7b2a6c9b43197bed0c805de9262154/fullcontact-logo)

[FullContact](https://www.fullcontact.com/) is contact management software that's used to unify, de-dupe and clean lists of contacts — a big pain point for sales and marketing - heavy organizations, not to mention media companies.

Our FullContact [Rule](https://github.com/auth0/rules/blob/master/rules/get-FullContact-profile.md) allows you to get a user's profile from FullContact using their email address. It'll add a `fullContactInfo` property to their `user_metadata` if their information is available. For more, see the [FullContact API docs](http://www.fullcontact.com/developer/docs/).

```javascript
function (user, context, callback) {
  var FULLCONTACT_KEY = 'YOUR FULLCONTACT API KEY';
  var SLACK_HOOK = 'YOUR SLACK HOOK URL';

  var slack = require('slack-notify')(SLACK_HOOK);

  // skip if no email
  if(!user.email) return callback(null, user, context);
  // skip if fullcontact metadata is already there
  if(user.user_metadata && user.user_metadata.fullcontact) return callback(null, user, context);
  request({
    url: 'https://api.fullcontact.com/v2/person.json',
    qs: {
      email:  user.email,
      apiKey: FULLCONTACT_KEY
    }
  }, function (error, response, body) {
    if (error || (response && response.statusCode !== 200)) {

      slack.alert({
        channel: '#slack_channel',
        text: 'Fullcontact API Error',
        fields: {
          error: error ? error.toString() : (response ? response.statusCode + ' ' + body : '')
        }
      });

      // swallow fullcontact api errors and just continue login
      return callback(null, user, context);
    }


    // if we reach here, it means fullcontact returned info and we'll add it to the metadata
    user.user_metadata = user.user_metadata || {};
    user.user_metadata.fullcontact = JSON.parse(body);

    auth0.users.updateUserMetadata(user.user_id, user.user_metadata);
    return callback(null, user, context);
  });
}
```

There are endless ways to use customer data to build a better application. The key is to keep experimenting until you find something that really works — when you find that, double down.

There are no magic bullets. All you can do is look for an edge. Using analytics, however, you can find that edge a lot faster.

> [Auth0 offers a generous **free tier**](https://auth0.com/pricing) to get started with modern authentication on B2C, B2B, retail and CIAM products.


How To Build Your User Analytics Funnel With Social Login

How To Use Social Connections To Improve Retention And Security



Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Today, most of us have countless social media accounts that we use to stay connected.

The average digital consumer has, in total, about [25 username and password combinations](http://blog.gemalto.com/security/2015/02/05/its-time-to-move-away-from-traditional-passwords-and-prioritize-online-security/). So, it shouldn't be surprising that when a new app asks them to come up with a new one, [86% of users](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) report being frustrated.

To determine how customers are using Auth0, data was collected throughout 2015 on end user login choices. In this article we analyze which social connections were used most, how often they were used and how developers can continue to improve security through the use of social connections.

## What Are Social Connections?

With *social connections*, an external verification page authenticates the identity of the user. You use existing login information from a social network provider instead of creating a new account on the application/website. It's quick, it's frictionless, and that can have a powerful lift effect on conversion rates—as much as [8-60%](https://auth0.com/blog/2015/12/16/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/).

Authenticating through social networks also means you can request specific types of data from your users, such as location, interests, and more. This is invaluable for [personalized marketing](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/).

![Enabling Social Connections](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3q11XLTm7JG97Zui0NdS83/69c34978d5b60a9fbfaceb42459b0334/enabling-social-connections )

Auth0 [simplifies the process](https://auth0.com/learn/social-login/) of reconciling the profile properties, required headers, and response formats of all the different social APIs. A simple “ON” switch controls each authentication, allowing developers to pick and choose which they want to enable and which they don't. 

### What social connections are being used?

Throughout 2015, we collected data to find out which social connection options were being used most often:

![Social Connections Usage](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3vNr6zEmmR9W9U0j52Mm0E/cbc264516146f645308b16d47edfda78/social-connections-usage)

**Findings:**

* Google and Facebook represent more than **76%** of Social Connections.
* Google is the most popular (**51%**) and almost doubles Facebook (**26%**).
* Twitter (**4.7%**) comes in 4th place after Windows Live (**6.7%**).

Looking closer at the social connections results shows that the distributions are reflected in the estimated monthly site visits of each of these sites (according to data from July 2016 on [Alexa.com](http://alexa.com/)) with Google having more than 4.5 billion users, about 2x Facebook's 2.28 billion. These numbers far exceed Windows Live's 534 million or Twitter's 444 million.

![Social Connections vs Monthly Site Visits](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2gh6wOqZtmc0i9xNnNblPO/bbfee9b125282526bedd3b63d9c755e3/social-connections-vs-monthly-site-visits )

Google and Facebook are clearly the biggest players, which makes sense—they have the most users. But most businesses will want to look into smaller networks that tie into their user base more closely because of the information they can gather:

* **Developer-focused apps**: GitHub and BitBucket will draw the same audience and give you information on the code they are developing to determine how your product can better help them.
* **Sales-focused apps:** A Salesforce login can provide information on the customers your user is targeting allowing you to direct them to applicable features of your app.
* **Fitness apps:** A Fitbit login would allow users to sync their account information with another complementary platform that they might also be using for this niche. 

To personalize your app's experience, dig deeper than Google/Facebook and think about what smaller social networks your users are on.

## How Often Are Social Connections Used?

Auth0 allows developers to use enterprise, conventional username/password, and Passwordless logins alongside Social Connections. We will group Passwordless and Social Connections in the Single Sign On category. Here is the split of total users by connection type:

![Total Users per Connection Type](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/4jXEa8UQMFyNvlzzUYAewi/5fd14be2dbe5a03910f25f95f8c3c667/total-users)

**Findings:**

* Only 4.7% of all logins are social connections.
* Username and password logins still dominate at 70.5%.
* Passwordless logins currently account for less than 1%.

It's alarming that such a large percentage of logins are still username and password-based for 3 reasons:

* Most users don't bother coming up with a complicated password, use the same password for many accounts or share passwords with friends, making the “[security through obscurity](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/usernames-passwords-thing-past-cope/)” of passwords ineffective.
* If a username or password is forgotten, most of the times a long and [inconvenient](http://www.networkcomputing.com/network-security/why-we-need-move-beyond-passwords/1521264108) email recovery and reset process is necessary to recover that information.
* Offering only username & password login is [less effective](https://auth0.com/blog/2015/12/16/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/) as companies who added additional login options, such as social connections, saw conversion rates increase up to 50%.

There needs to be an increased use of social connections and Passwordless authentication, especially for B2C companies.

If your users are likely to have accounts on popular social providers and if your application can gain additional features by interacting with the social provider’s API, social authentication may prove beneficial. 

By requesting additional user attributes through social connections, such as location, birthday or friends, you can create an extremely [personal onboarding experience](https://auth0.com/blog/2016/05/13/7-lessons-that-will-save-your-user-onboarding). With such a [quick Aha! moment](https://auth0.com/blog/2015/12/16/how-to-use-social-login-to-drive-your-apps-growth/), such as seeing which other friends are using the app, users are more likely to stay.

## Conclusion

Major findings:

1. **Majority of social connections are Google or Facebook accounts**. Adding these can greatly increase retention.
2. **Only 4.7% of all connections are social**. This means there's much room for growth, and the trend shows that the usage is constantly increasing.
3. **Social connections can give you access to personalized data for better onboarding**.
4. **Social connections still hold up against the rise of Passwordless because of this additional data.**

Moving forward, businesses can use social connection options, particularly Google and Facebook, to improve user retention. Getting away from username and password logins, toward either social connections or Passwordless login, is also the surest way to make apps more secure.
The good news is that not only Auth0 can make your life easier when adding social connections to your apps, but you can use the free tier and get social connections with up to two providers. So if you pick Google and Facebook you got 76% of social connections covered for free! An excellent reason to try Auth0 today, so what are you waiting to click the button below 😄.


Analyzing Social Connections Data: What can we learn?

001c9ddc5ceb9829b6aaf24f5d28502a

I am software developer with a keen interest in open-source technologies, Linux, and native development. I've worked on many different platforms Android, iOS, Win32, Linux, FreeRTOS, the Web, and others. I've gone through the whole stack and I enjoy learning and using the latest technologies. I now work as a full-stack developer at Auth0.

Senior Engineer

Sebastian Peyrott

Learn how to implement social logins on Android with Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram as providers

"social-login"