Claire Hazle, director of marketing and e-commerce at Cosmos UK, told TTG the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation would force firms to consider what they want to achieve from consumer data.

The regulation, which aims to return control of personal data to consumers, will be enforced in the UK from May 25.

Hazle will appear at Abta’s Customer Insight in the Travel Industry event on April 25 and will speak on using customer insight to personalise communications.

“GDPR is a really positive thing,” she said.

“It’s an important wake-up call. It will make us stop and think about the relationship we want with customers.

“It’s a two-way thing. We cannot underestimate the importance of trust in brand relationships.

“Customers must ultimately be central to these relationships. We must listen to them and act on their feedback.”

Hazle said her research found 25% of people who give the highest level of feedback still include negative or constructive criticism.

“We are in danger of just looking at the numbers,” she said. “We miss these jewels. The voice of the customer has huge power and influence.

“As an industry, we look at GDPR as another regulation, as a headache,” added Hazle, who said the recent Facebook data scandal illustrated the importance of GDPR.

“Over the years, most businesses have gathered masses of data about their customers but still don’t understand them. Analysis is useful up to a point, but it can’t replace the voice of the customer,” she said.

“It’s important not to get caught in an ivory tower thinking you know best.

“An individual who trusts a brand and feels they are getting something back will be more open to sharing data. It validates their decision to give something away.”

Abta’s event will be held at Deloitte in New Street Square, London, on April 25. For places, visit abta.com/events