GDPR and Omnichannel Retailers
Everyone is scrambling to comply with the European Union’s recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This went into effect May 25, 2018, and it applies to anyone who does business with a citizen of the EU. That means that a sporting goods retailer in the US who sells soccer equipment online or collects contact information from an EU tourist buying an American football jersey should know what GDPR and Omnichannel Retailers is and how it affects their business.
What Is The General Data Protection Regulation?
According to EUGDPR.org, this regulation is designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe. The goal is to protect the data privacy of all EU citizens and reshape the way data privacy is approached. Since we have a global economy it will affect everyone else, too.
- Any organization located anywhere that processes and holds personal data of data subjects residing in the European Union.
- “Personal data” covers a wide range of information that could identify a specific person.
- Penalties for non-compliance are tiered from a warning all the way to serious monetary fines. The rules apply to both controllers (the entity that determines the purposes, conditions, and means of processing the data) and processors who collect and process that personal data for the controller.
- There are other sections of this regulation covering responding to data breaches, compliance, etc.
A Few More Helpful Sites
Since this affects us all, there are many resources online that you can access.
- TechRepublic has an excellent video and summary of how the provisions of GDPR will affect enterprises and their IT infrastructure.
- ZDNet gives an equally helpful overview of the impact this regulation has on any business that is offering goods or services to customers or businesses in the EU.
- The Ultimate Guide to WordPress and GDPR Compliance is informative even if your business does not use WordPress.
The Omnichannel Retailers Bottom Line
GDPR is the new standard for consumer rights regarding their data but it will be challenging to put those standards in place for many businesses. Your customers are going to be asking you if your business is GDPR compliant because they will have been bombarded with emails from others assuring them that their data is secure. With ChainDrive’s single database it is relatively simple for that sporting goods retailer or any other retailer to check their data processing and make sure their omnichannel business can stay global.