If in the past market research, interviews and theoretical models built by collecting a limited number of information, allowed very limited methods of profiling and segmenting your audience , today this is no longer the case.
In the era of big data and artificial intelligence algorithms , the fragmentation of information on customers and users has finally been overcome and a structured data-driven approach has been hoped for , capable of guiding strategic choices and decisions.
The most significant contribution, in this context, came with the introduction and use of Customer Data Platforms , technological solutions that allow the aggregation and normalization of data relating to customers and users from multiple sources and, above all, allow for effective and structured use.
But let's proceed in order: what are the characteristics of a Customer Data Platform , how does it work and why can it be really relevant for an effective marketing strategy?
Customer Data Platform : definition
Let's clarify right away that, despite its name, a Customer Data Platform is not simply a data collection platform.
Gartner gives a fairly generic and perhaps reductive definition by defining it as "a marketing system that unifies a company's customer data from marketing and other channels".
What is not clear from this definition is the purpose linked to its use, that is, to improve and streamline processes and activities within the company .
What does a customer data marketing platform do?
Among the main purposes of a CDP we can identify some which are:
a customer data platform allows you to collect and centralize data from multiple sources such as websites, apps, eCommerce, POS, ticketing systems, etc.;
within it, the data is normalized at the single customer view level , so it is possible to have a complete and real-time vision of the single contact which allows the creation and list of antarctica consumer email implementation of omnichannel strategies;
easily accessible, the use of a customer data platform does not require particular technical skills and can therefore be used by different departments of the company;
Some customer data platform solutions , such as Blendee, allow you to track and collect data even on anonymous users and integrate data from third parties.
Customer Data Platform - CDP
Audience Profiling and Segmentation : The Importance of the Customer Data Platform
Data collection and normalization for a complete and in-depth view of the individual user: a Customer Data Platform represents the keystone for a successful marketing strategy capable of putting the customer at the center.
In fact, it allows you to collect different types of data such as:
personal data
information on browsing behavior even in real-time
data on purchasing behavior
qualitative information
data provided by external properties
As partially anticipated, all this data is collected at the single customer view level , that is, through a unique and univocal identifier that allows its conservation and organization.
All this is possible thanks to a business intelligence process, defined as data discovery , which, in very simple terms, has the main function of finding, selecting and organizing data from different sources, according to common patterns that allow easy processing and analysis.
Users and customers no longer have secrets: strategists and marketers now have a 360° vision that allows for accurate and dynamic profiling and segmentation .
