How to Prevent Security Breaches in Retail Marketing Campaigns

In the retail sector, digital marketing campaigns are a strategic asset. They allow companies to attract customers, build loyalty, and drive sales, but they also involve handling large volumes of personal data: email addresses, phone numbers, ZIP codes, and other information that, in the wrong hands, can pose significant risks.

Security incidents in retail companies show that it’s not enough to have a creative or well-targeted campaign. A misconfiguration, an external provider with security vulnerabilities, or the lack of proper internal controls can turn a campaign into a security incident that damages brand reputation, customer trust, and regulatory compliance.

The Importance of Integrating Cybersecurity into Marketing

The impact of security breaches on brands

Security breaches are not just a technological risk, they are a serious business and reputational problem. According to an Adobe study, up to 68% of consumers would not buy again from a brand that had suffered a data breach, regardless of the compensation or explanation provided by the company.

In the retail context, where customer trust is a highly valuable asset, a poorly protected marketing campaign can result in the leakage of personal data (such as names, emails, or phone numbers) that harms not only your relationship with customers but also your SEO ranking and brand perception.

The Rise of Retail Cyberattacks

Global data shows that the retail sector has experienced a significant increase in cyberattacks. In Spain, for example, cybersecurity incidents rose 67% in the first quarter of 2025, making e-commerce one of the most affected sectors.

This increase highlights that no channel, including the most sophisticated digital marketing efforts, is safe if security controls are not integrated from the campaign’s design phase.

Real Cases: Breaches Affecting Retail Companies

Mango: breach via an external provider

In October 2025, the well-known retail company Mango suffered a data breach through an external provider linked to marketing services. Although the company maintained that its internal infrastructure was not compromised, names, countries, ZIP codes, email addresses, and phone numbers of customers were accessed through a third party involved in its marketing chain.

Reminder: Any external service with access to customer data represents a potential risk, especially when used for segmentation or communication automation.

Kering (Gucci, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen): customer data theft

In June 2025, the luxury group Kering, owner of brands such as Gucci and Balenciaga, was the victim of a cyberattack that exposed personal customer data, including names, emails, and phone numbers, to the extortion group Shiny Hunters.

Although this incident was not directly linked to a marketing campaign, it shows how customer data leaks can become an opportunity for cybercriminals, especially when that information is used for digital marketing activities.

Security Tip: Protecting customer data across all channels—especially those used for campaigns—is essential, because any exposure, even if unrelated to marketing, can be exploited maliciously.

El Corte Inglés: attack via a provider

The Spanish retail giant El Corte Inglés confirmed that an external provider was attacked, allowing unauthorized access to customer personal data, including purchase card numbers.

Reminder: Attacks on third parties, especially providers managing marketing, CRM, or automation functions, can directly compromise marketing campaigns if they have access to customer databases.

Verifications.io: massive marketing data exposure

A classic case in digital marketing was the Verifications.io breach, a company dedicated to validating email lists for marketing campaigns. In 2019, over 800 million records, including email addresses, phone numbers, and postal addresses, were exposed due to an unsecured database.

Although not recent, this case perfectly illustrates how a marketing service provider can become a serious security risk if robust measures are not applied.

Security Tip: Integrations with third-party platforms used for campaign management should be audited and protected with the same rigor as internal systems.

Strategies to Prevent a Campaign from Becoming a Security Breach

Secure-by-design approach from the start

All campaigns, especially those involving personal data, should be designed with cybersecurity integrated from day one. This includes performing a risk analysis, classifying data according to sensitivity, and applying controls to protect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

This approach not only helps secure the campaign but also aligns with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements, which mandate reporting personal data breaches within 72 hours.

Strict management of providers and third parties

As seen in multiple real cases, external providers represent one of the most critical risk vectors. To mitigate this:

• Require security audits and certifications from your providers.
  
  
• Establish clear contractual clauses regarding data protection.
  
  
• Regularly review permissions and access to sensitive data.

An effective marketing campaign not only targets your audience well but also protects each customer’s information from external risks.

Continuous monitoring and incident response

Having monitoring tools that alert on abnormal behavior is key to detecting exploitation attempts before they escalate into a breach. Implementing SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) or MDR (Managed Detection and Response) solutions allows for rapid response and impact mitigation.

Additionally, having a well-practiced incident response plan can reduce the duration of a breach and its effects on the campaign and your brand’s reputation.

Data minimization and segmentation

Limiting the amount of data collected and used in a campaign reduces the potential impact if a breach occurs. Use techniques such as anonymization or tokenization when possible, and segment data so that only what is strictly necessary is available for marketing processes.

Marketing campaigns in the retail sector are powerful tools to increase visibility, build customer loyalty, and drive sales. However, this potential can be seriously compromised if security is not managed proactively.

Integrating cybersecurity into the design and execution of campaigns not only protects your customers’ data and your business but also strengthens SEO positioning and consumer trust. The examples discussed show that even the largest brands can be affected by breaches if risks are not properly managed.