What is a Customer Data Platform (CDP)?

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a software solution that centralizes customer data from various sources into a single, unified database. This allows you to collect, store, and analyze data in real-time.

By using a CDP, businesses can gather data from multiple touchpoints—websites, apps, social media, and more. This creates a comprehensive view of customer interactions, behaviors, and attributes.

Key benefits of a CDP

• Unified Customer Profiles: CDPs integrate data from various sources to offer a 360-degree view of each customer.

• Enhanced Personalization: Analyzing customer data lets you deliver personalized marketing messages and offers.

• Data Security and Compliance: CDPs securely store data, helping you comply with privacy regulations.

CDP vs. CRM vs. DMP

• CDP vs. CRM: While a CRM manages direct interactions like sales and support, a CDP collects data from a broader range of touchpoints, including anonymous visits and offline data.

• CDP vs. DMP: A DMP collects anonymous data for short-term advertising. In contrast, a CDP manages both known and anonymous data to build long-term customer profiles.

Examples of customer data platform (CDP) usage

• E-commerce personalization: An online retailer tracks browsing behavior, purchase history, and demographic data. This helps recommend products tailored to individual preferences. Learn more about Behavioral Targeting, Conversion Rate Optimization, and Landing Page Optimization.

• Omnichannel marketing: A travel agency pulls data from its website, mobile app, and in-store interactions. This creates seamless, personalized travel packages for customers. Learn more about Customer Journey Management, Enterprise Analytics, and Geotargeting.

• Customer support: A telecommunications company consolidates customer service interactions. This enables support agents to provide faster, more accurate assistance based on complete customer histories. Learn more about Customer Stories, SDKs and APIs, and Integrations.