topic Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser. in Lead Capture Tools

Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

nlafakis — Thu, 20 May 2021 15:07:06 GMT

Ok so this is more of a check to see if this is actually possible. I've seen documentation that states that HS auto-stores user data so that it can auto-fill another HS form (from the same account only) for a user should they go to another page with a HS form on it. Good deal, halfway there, lol!

What I'd like to do (mind you I'm not the most skilled developer...yet!) is "sniff" the auto form fill data from a user's browser that they'd use for any other side, and pull that into the form fields on my HS form.

If this requires me to create a custom HTML HS form, totes fine! I also saw some documentation about using a query string to pull that information, maybe? So if this is a real thing and it's possible and doesn't violate any sort of GDPR, then a simple yes will do and I'll take it from there!

Thanks so much in advance.

Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

karstenkoehler — Thu, 20 May 2021 15:12:08 GMT

Hi @nlafakis,

What other sites are you thinking of here? Third-party websites or another website of yours?

The latter case could be GDPR compliant but would require thorough setup and evaluation. If the data privacy text on both pages covers this use case and visitors consent into this usage of cookies, a data protection officer could probably find a legal solution here.

The first one, a third-party website, definitely isn't – it would require the website visitors to consent into their being tracked by you beforehand.

Best regards!

Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

nlafakis — Thu, 20 May 2021 16:25:48 GMT

Hey @karstenkoehler !,

Thanks for the reply! Ok so to be clear, by latter case you mean in the case where I would use a query string to pull the autofill data?

What I'm trying to do is capture the same auto-fill data that's used by any user for any site. So like when you first open a new browser and fill out any form, the browser asks you, "do you want to store this information to fill out forms faster?" Most users click yes. So then would it be possible, to get that information from the browser since it's already stored by the user? Is that even stored somewhere that could be accessed by a query from the form on the landing page? As an example, and I hope this makes sense tbh 😄

- User goes to xyz website

- User clicks on banner ad associated with landing page

- User arrives at landing page and a HS form is on the page as well (user has never used an HS form associated with the account, first time form fill)

- User's F-name, L-name, and Address are automatically populated into the HS form on the page

So I'm looking for what I need, or if I can do it, to capture that information from the users stored data within their browser that's used to auto-fill other forms on other sites. This is especially common on mobile, which is really where I'm trying to target most.

Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

karstenkoehler — Thu, 20 May 2021 16:35:42 GMT

Hi @nlafakis,

Thanks for the added context, that makes it more clear.

Looking at the documentation of, for example, Mozilla Firefox, I'd be surprised if this information was accessible without additional action from the user. Essentially you'd be trying to pre-populate the website form before the users decide to do so themselves, correct?

Technicalities aside, I don't think this would make a good first impression – because why should a form (company) have that information if this is the first touchpoint, no cookies accepted yet, no consent into data processing?

Best regards!

Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

nlafakis — Thu, 20 May 2021 18:33:54 GMT

Hey @karstenkoehler !,

Yes, nail on the head in terms of what is is I'm trying to do 😁

In terms of it being an intrusion of privacy:

Yes, it's somewhat...of an invasion of privacy, but is it? When you go to search, your phone nearly populates the search with whatever you just said or have typed in the last 5 seconds because Google knows that you're probably going to look for whatever you were just communicating about. That freaked me out the first time it happened. It also freaked me out that Facebook would show me ads based on conversations I was having, while my phone wasn't being used at the time, however it was on. Now I get that I agreed to it when I signed the EULA and TOS upon purchase and initiating my account with them. So I definitely understand where you're coming from! I guess I'm just saying that as far as intrusion of privacy for basic information goes, I don't think it's as big of a deal. As I said, myself and many other people I know already use auto form fill when surfing a site that requires it. Even when it comes to using apps on your phone, the user data can be prefilled if you've used your phone for that purpose before and consented to doing it anywhere a form is present.

So...technically...you've already consented to having your data put into a form. That, isn't stealing your information. That doesn't give me your email address unless you hit "Submit." So you haven't lost anything, I haven't gained anything, it's just a pre-filled form.

On how I might do it otherwise:

So I had the thought of having the banner ads that the user clicks on, deposit a cookie in their browser. Does it make sense that since they clicked, they technically consented to going to the page, so it then gives creedence to why their data would be pre-populated on the form when they landed there. Considering the site they're coming from, has already served them a warning about data being collected via cookies, again technically there's a form of consent. I'm not sure that websites generic coockie consent covers 3rd party advertisements tho. I haven't had the time to research this entirely but from what I've pulled so far it looks like it would be.

At the end of the day:

I get it, I'm trying to get information that I probably shouldn't have access to. But it's a first and last name. **bleep** I don't even need/want the address or email. Just that foot in the door that makes them filling out the form 1 step less than it would have been otherwise. Since the entire goal of conversion is to make the process as easy as possible, I figured this might be a quick (albeit sneaky) means of getting that 1 step.

I've also wondered whether or not this would be possible (pre-populating the form) via a Facebook/Google/Outlook login. So there's been some gaming services, best example I can think of, and of course when you go to register you can either manually type in all your information, or you can click to use a social media or email platform to fill out the information ("In one click!") instead. Examples below of that method.

Re: Auto-fill form with data from user's Auto-fill property in their browser.

karstenkoehler — Fri, 21 May 2021 03:41:34 GMT

Hi @nlafakis,

Thanks for the thorough answer! Let me focus on a few things.

@nlafakis wrote:

That freaked me out the first time it happened.

Do you really want your own prospects to have a similar negative experience? In a time of very strict data privacy and protection regulations, this could do more bad than good to your conversions.

@nlafakis wrote:

So...technically...you've already consented to having your data put into a form.

That's the part that someone with a legal background should confirm. Better safe than sorry. I don't know of any users in the community who give legal consultation in posts so this is probably as far as you get here, without a professional. (And I'd highly recommend checking the legal requirements before developing anything.)

When it comes to using other platform's autofill features, this seems to be possible with custom code. A HubSpot partner agency developed their own custom script to make this work with LinkedIn autofill.

If this was helpful, you can help the community by marking this post as a solution. I'd appreciate it!