Integrating web analytics with CRM for Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley is a UK-based wealth management firm, founded in 1792, that provides investment management and financial planning services to private clients, charities, trusts, and professional advisers.

The challenge

Charles Stanley’s marketing teams struggled with fragmented customer data. Web analytics in GA4 and BigQuery remained disconnected from their CRM database, preventing a complete view of customer journeys. The existing email-based user identification was unreliable, as email addresses could change or be shared, creating data quality issues and limiting personalised marketing capabilities.

The Solution

We designed a custom Google Cloud architecture using GA4 with BigQuery export, Cloud Functions, and secure SFTP protocols. We implemented a hybrid user ID strategy combining pre-registration SHA-256 hashed emails with post-registration PIDs. BigQuery reporting tables prioritised PIDs and retrospectively updated historical sessions. Cloud Functions automated data extraction and secure scheduled transfers.

The Results

The solution unified Charles Stanley’s customer data, providing complete visibility into customer journeys from first visit through post-registration activity. The hybrid ID approach maintained privacy compliance while improving data reliability. Automated daily transfers eliminated manual handling, ensuring the CRM database reflected the latest web insights for personalised marketing strategies.

By implementing a hybrid ID strategy with automated Cloud Functions, we achieved seamless, privacy-compliant data integration between web analytics and CRM systems.