As an organization, you want to stay in touch with your customers, whether it’s for email campaigns, offers, loyalty programs, or aftersales. For that, you need personal data. Sometimes a lot. But how long are you actually allowed to keep that data? And under what conditions can you collect it?
This blog explains how to do it in a responsible and GDPR-compliant way, without legal jargon.
1️⃣ Start with Purpose and Necessity
You’re only allowed to collect personal data if you have a clear and legitimate purpose.
For example:
- A customer receives updates about a product after purchase
- You send loyal customers personalized offers
- You analyze customer behavior to improve your service
🎯 The more specific your purpose, the better. Vague terms like “for marketing purposes” are not enough. Instead, say something like:
“We store your data to send relevant updates and offers for up to 2 years after your purchase.”
2️⃣ When Can You Collect More Data?
You may collect more personal data if it’s demonstrably necessary for your goal.
For example:
- Purchase history to personalize offers
- Date of birth for birthday promotions
- Location data for regional campaigns
⚠️ But: never collect more than you need.
Don’t ask for phone numbers if you only send emails. And don’t request birth dates if you don’t offer age-based services.
3️⃣ Can You Keep the Data for a Long Time?
Yes, but only as long as you actually need it for the purpose you defined.
For customer communication, this means:
- While the customer is active (buying, contacting you, engaging)
- And after the relationship ends: up to a few years, depending on your communication strategy and legal obligations
A good rule of thumb:
1 to 5 years, depending on activity level, product type, and expectations you’ve set.
🧹 Tip: If a customer hasn’t engaged with you in a long time, it’s smart (and required) to delete or anonymize their data.
4️⃣ What Conditions Must You Meet?
If you want to collect a lot of data and keep it long-term, the GDPR requires you to meet several conditions:
| ✅ Condition | 📌 Explanation |
|---|---|
| 🎯 Clear purpose | Why are you collecting this data? |
| 📏 Data minimization | Only collect what’s strictly necessary |
| ⏳ Retention period | Define how long each type of data is needed |
| 📣 Transparency | Inform customers clearly via your privacy notice |
| 🛡️ Security | Prevent unauthorized access or leaks |
| ✅ Consent (when needed) | For newsletters, tracking, profiling, etc. |
5️⃣ How to Minimize Risk
- Schedule automated clean-ups of your database
- Regularly review whether your goals are still valid
- Make it easy for customers to opt out or access their data
- Limit internal access to staff who really need the data
✅ In Summary
You’re allowed to collect and retain personal data to keep communicating with customers, as long as it’s purposeful, proportionate, and transparent. The more data you collect or the longer you keep it, the more important it is to clearly document your policy and apply it consistently.
🛠️ Want to know if your CRM or marketing system is GDPR-proof?
Or need help defining retention periods or reviewing your data collection practices? RealCob helps you stay in control.
👉Try RealCob free for 30 days