What it does
It consolidates data to build detailed customer profiles.
A customer data platform (CDP) acts as a central hub for managing and integrating customer data from diverse sources, such as online, offline, and third-party channels. It consolidates data to build detailed customer profiles. This capability supports advanced analytics, real-time personalization, and multi-channel engagement strategies. By ensuring data governance, identity resolution, and privacy compliance, CDPs enable organizations to effectively use first-party data for targeted marketing and customer experience enhancements. Typical capabilities cover data collection and integration, identity resolution and profile unification, customer analytics and insights, real-time personalization and activation, and campaign management and journey orchestration.
Select capabilities to see vendors ordered by coverage. Each square represents a selected capability; filled squares indicate listed coverage.
It consolidates data to build detailed customer profiles.
Companies with a data strategy and a need to integrate customer data from multiple sources will find the most value in CDPs.
When your business struggles with fragmented customer data, consider this category.
Bigger pipeline and scale, Wider reach and engagement, Better return on spend
Three key trends are shaping the CDP market: increased use of AI and machine learning, expansion into new geographies, and deeper integration with adjacent systems.
Marketing Automation Platforms, Customer Engagement/Loyalty Platforms, Multichannel Marketing Hubs
Capability to combine customer identities across touchpoints and data sources, and consolidate profiles at the person level, including aggregating customers into household or account level for B2B use cases.
Features supporting data governance, consent management, privacy regulations compliance, and security, including security and compliance certifications.
Ability to perform data quality and hygiene functions including deduplication, completeness, freshness, and governance, ensuring data integrity and reliability.
Ability to analyze customer data to generate insights, including segmentation, behavioral analytics, and predictive modeling, to inform marketing and business strategies.
Use of AI/ML to enhance data processing, predictive modeling, personalization, and customer intelligence within the CDP, including native AI and predictive models for scoring, insights, and automation.
Ability to deliver personalized experiences in real time based on customer data and behavior, and to activate customer data and deliver personalized experiences across multiple channels.
Capability to design, execute, and optimize multi-channel marketing campaigns and customer journeys, supporting multichannel engagement and outbound connectors to online and offline channels.
Capabilities enabling secure data sharing and collaboration between brands and publishers, including clean room technology, and identity graphs for advertising measurement and activation use cases.
Ability to collect, ingest, and integrate customer data from multiple sources, including online, offline, and third-party channels, to support data management.
CDPs differ from marketing automation platforms by focusing on data unification and identity resolution rather than campaign execution. They contrast with customer engagement/loyalty platforms, which emphasize gamification and rewards over data management. Compared to multichannel marketing hubs, CDPs offer more advanced analytics and data governance capabilities; the distinction is key for organizations seeking a centralized data management solution versus those prioritizing campaign orchestration or loyalty programs.
CDPs differ from marketing automation platforms by focusing on data unification and identity resolution rather than campaign execution.
They contrast with customer engagement/loyalty platforms, which emphasize gamification and rewards over data management.
Compared to multichannel marketing hubs, CDPs offer more advanced analytics and data governance capabilities.
The CDP market is growing rapidly. Organizations prioritize first-party data and real-time personalization. The CDPs are key for businesses to enhance customer engagement and loyalty; vendors expand their offerings, including advanced analytics, AI, and data governance.
The market for customer data platforms (CDPs) is evolving. Over the next 12 to 24 months, CDPs will incorporate real-time marketing capabilities from marketing automation platforms, enhancing their ability to run campaigns and manage customer journeys. Some CDP vendors will focus on specialized loyalty and engagement platforms, concentrating on gamification and rewards rather than data management. This shift will alter the buyer's landscape, demanding a more nuanced evaluation of tools and capabilities.
Three key trends are shaping the CDP market: increased use of AI and machine learning, expansion into new geographies, and deeper integration with adjacent systems. AI and ML will drive advanced analytics and predictive modeling. This enables real-time personalization at scale. Geographical expansion will cater to diverse regional regulations and market demands. CDPs will integrate more closely with marketing automation and CRM systems, offering a more cohesive customer engagement solution.
Vendors are focusing on integrating AI and machine learning to enhance analytics and personalization. BlueConic acquired Blueshift to bolster its real-time marketing capabilities, while others like Acquia CDP are expanding their data integration and identity resolution features. These innovations aim to deliver more precise and timely customer insights.
BlueConic has acquired Blueshift to enhance its platform with AI-driven cross-channel marketing capabilities. Opensend has acquired Fueled.io to enhance customer data activation for e-commerce brands.
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In Retail, teams use this category primarily for Customer profile unification, Customer data activation and personalization, and Customer data integration. Lytics CDP helped Land O’Lakes boost conversion rates by 38% for its Purina brand. Purina used real-time behavioral data to create personalized web experiences for different animal owners.
In Consumer Goods, teams use this category primarily for Personalized email and SMS marketing, Personalized product recommendation quizzes, and Customer data-driven email personalization. Essity used BlueConic to unify customer data and improve ad targeting. The company built detailed customer profiles and created targeted segments for remarketing. In two months, Essity cut cost per acquisition by 50%.
In Entertainment, teams use this category primarily for Customer data activation and personalization, Audience data collection for media, and Personalized survey-driven profiling. The casino used Optimove to automate CRM marketing and deliver personalized messages.
In Food & Beverages, teams use this category primarily for Personalized consumer engagement, Customer data activation and personalization, and Loyalty program automation. Bloomreach helped Krombacher double its loyalty program members in 2024. The company unified customer data and automated marketing with Loomi AI. This led to a 20% increase in email revenue and a 60% rise in open rates.
In Apparel & Fashion, teams use this category primarily for Customer data activation and personalization, Personalized SMS campaign management, and Omnichannel customer journey orchestration. ASICS used Experiences by Jebbit to boost consumer engagement. They wanted to give personalized product recommendations for different running personas.
In Media Production, teams use this category primarily for Consent management for audience data, Look-alike modeling for audience expansion, and Personalized content recommendations. The company used Lytics to create data-driven affinity audiences and personalize content for over 16 million readers.
In Information Technology and Services, teams use this category primarily for Website content management automation, Website content management for marketing, and Technical documentation publishing. Contentstack helped a cloud-native container management platform cut publishing time by 75%. The company switched from WordPress to Contentstack for more flexibility and speed.
In Telecommunications, teams use this category primarily for Customer profile unification, Sales meeting documentation automation, and AI-driven sales coaching and onboarding. Odido used BlueConic to unify customer data and enable real-time personalization. The company built persistent customer profiles and used AI to predict the next best action for each user.
In Insurance, teams use this category primarily for Lifecycle marketing for lead generation, Content management for insurance websites, and First-party data collection and unification. Contentstack helped RSA Insurance speed up content publishing and improve brand consistency. RSA moved content management in-house, reducing reliance on third-party vendors.
In Publishing, teams use this category primarily for Audience segmentation and targeting, Newsletter sign-up optimization, and Cart abandonment re-engagement. The team used A/B testing and personalized dialogues to test different sign-up prompts.
In Consumer Electronics, teams use this category primarily for Customer profile unification, Targeted price drop email campaigns, and Premium membership upgrade targeting. Bloomreach helped Fairphone unify customer data and automate marketing. Fairphone used Loomi AI to send an impact report email campaign. The campaign got nearly 3,000 clicks on the first email.
In Financial Services, teams use this category primarily for Customer data integration, Customer data analysis, and Customer profile unification. Plus1 used Bloomreach integrated with Snowflake to automate lending journeys. The team saved 10 hours each week by reducing manual data handling. Real-time data improved campaign accuracy and customer engagement.
In Health, Wellness and Fitness, teams use this category primarily for First-party data unification for marketing, Personalized audience targeting and engagement, and Omnichannel marketing campaign management. Essity used BlueConic to unify first-party data across 11 countries and 10 brands. They faced challenges from third-party cookie loss and strict privacy laws.
In Hospitality, teams use this category primarily for Website personalization for booking journeys, Customer data-driven content targeting, and GDPR consent management for web visitors. Haven used Bloomreach’s Loomi AI and managed endpoints API to personalize customer journeys on its website.
In Marketing and Advertising, teams use this category primarily for Customer profile unification, Audience segmentation for marketing campaigns, and Personalized email and content delivery. Techonomy used BlueConic to help sports and recreation clients unify customer data and create single customer views. They eliminated data silos and enabled real-time personalized marketing.
In Internet, teams use this category primarily for Customer funnel analysis for product teams, Customer data unification for analytics, and Marketing tool integration and testing. Indicative helped GetYourGuide speed up product decisions by making data analysis easier for product managers. Before Indicative, teams relied on slow, complex SQL queries and Looker models.
In Recruitment, teams use this category primarily for Recruitment campaign personalization, Cross-channel advertising optimization, and Cross-channel audience segmentation. BlueConic helped Continu, a Dutch recruitment agency, boost its recruitment results. Continu used BlueConic to collect and unify first-party data, build advanced audience segments, and activate targeted ads.
In Travel, teams use this category primarily for Personalized multi-channel marketing automation, Customer data unification for loyalty, and Customer data unification for travel loyalty. Bloomreach Engagement helped Kiwi.com save 30 hours per week by automating marketing workflows. The travel-tech company unified customer data and personalized communications across channels using Loomi AI.
In Restaurants, teams use this category primarily for Customer data activation and personalization and Customer profile unification. Bloomreach helped Popeyes UK connect in-restaurant purchase data to its online loyalty program. The brand captured 20% of offline data, driving a 3x increase in repeat visits among campaign-engaged guests.
In Automotive, teams use this category primarily for Customer profile unification, Cloud infrastructure for automotive IoT, and Real-time payment data processing. BlueConic helped Vanarama unify customer data from multiple sources. They built first-party data assets using unified profiles and AI-driven identity resolution.
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Unique monthly depositors grew by 37%.
Using BlueConic's Abandon Browse template, RevZilla increased revenue by over 35%.
Abandon Cart messaging also boosted revenue and orders by 5%.
Industry Dive also increased conversions by over 40% for specific campaigns.
Purina also increased re-engagement by 3% using targeted content for visitors about to leave the site.
Dairy Retail achieved a 225% increase in pages per visit.
Arena also achieved a 79% Google Ads audience match rate by syncing real-time profiles.
One campaign achieved a 25% click-through rate on banners, a 68.5% email open rate, and a 5.4% email click-through rate.
LoveSeen also saw a 60% rise in online conversions and doubled their email open and click rates with personalized messages.
As a result, conversions doubled, 77% of visitors engaged with the quiz, and 36% visited recommended product pages.
In two months, Essity cut cost per acquisition by 50%.
Return on ad spend increased by 25%, even with a 20% lower retargeting budget.
No outcomes match these filters.
Adobe and Microsoft dominate the CDP market. This offers advanced analytics and real-time personalization. Major contenders include Acquia CDP and Bloomreach, focusing on data integration and identity resolution. Treasure Data is another player providing strong offerings. BlueConic's acquisition of Blueshift signals a trend toward integrating real-time marketing with CDPs.
Muraena is the largest independent CDP and serves enterprises of all sizes. Muraena has strong partnerships with leading technology providers and a SI partner landscape.
Adobe is positioned as a Leader in the CDP PEAK Matrix Assessment 2023.
Microsoft is positioned as a Leader in the CDP PEAK Matrix Assessment 2023.
Oracle is positioned as a Leader in the CDP PEAK Matrix Assessment 2023.
Treasure Data is positioned as a Leader in the CDP PEAK Matrix Assessment 2023.
Amperity Benchmarking helps clients compare their performance against peers by size, industry, or location, focusing on data integration, partnership connectivity, and campaign success. Amperity's AI-powered identity solution and adtech integrations, including The Trade Desk, provide media activation and campaign measurement capabilities that outpace other data specialist CDPs.
BlueConic's acquisition of Jebbit enables unique first-party data collection through interactive experiences, and its native data clean room supports privacy-compliant second-party data sharing. Customer listening efforts led to key product enhancements including incorporation of an LLM for segment clustering and a strategic shift toward composable capabilities.
Tealium's Moments IQ feature, launched in 2024, enables in-the-moment zero-party data capture by letting website visitors share their preferences and intentions in real time. Tealium provides clear, flexible pricing with a default package, contrasting with competitors' increasingly complicated consumption-based and add-on pricing schemes.
ActionIQ's HybridCompute architecture supports deep data warehouse integrations including data sharing and reverse ETL with major platforms, simplifying pipeline management. ActionIQ's POC process has among the highest conversion rates of vendors in this research, validating technical functionalities and platform usability over six to twelve weeks.
MParticle's value-based, event-volume pricing with rollover credits reduces the risk of multiyear contracts and reflects an understanding of modern data stack economics. mParticle's data governance and consent management features include automated data filtering, consent policies on collection and egress, and minimization of sensitive attribute transfers during activation.
Redpoint CDP provides full encryption and GDPR/HIPAA compliance from ingestion to activation, with strong controls via data clean rooms, private workspaces, and PII vaults. Redpoint Global maintains a healthy customer volume, a net retention rate above 100% for four consecutive years, and the highest average customer revenue among vendors in this research.
Zeta's CDP integrates with its email and programmatic advertising platforms to orchestrate campaigns across owned and paid channels, bolstered by Zeta Data Cloud's first-party data enrichment. Zeta CDP's Zeta Opportunity Engine is an AI assistant that accelerates audience segmentation and campaign deployment through a low-code interface using bundled predictive models.
Teradata provides excellent multi-channel software support including self-service, SLAs, and multilingual training resources. Vantage supports a broad range of AI/ML capabilities including sentiment analysis, multiple learning paradigms, NLP, and neural networks via partnerships.
Uniphore's CDP offers best-in-class first-party data source integrations and management. A query service provides direct connection to major BI tools without requiring data migration.
Hightouch excels at integrations with first-party data sources and engagement systems. Hightouch offers an effective, easy-to-use journey orchestration tool with unique simulation capabilities.
Scal-e demonstrates strong understanding of B2B's third-party data enrichment needs through its data partnerships and integrations. Scal-e offers out-of-the-box B2B and industry-specific data models modifiable through a no-code interface.
Contentstack has a strong web personalization SDK to enable real-time web personalization. Customers like Contentstack's Data & Insights ability to handle anonymous audience management.
Leadspace excels at third-party data enrichment as a sales and marketing data provider. Leadspace is equally focused on solving marketing's and sales' customer data problems, including TAM and territory planning.
No vendors match these filters.
When your business struggles with fragmented customer data, consider this category. A CDP absence hinders compliance with GDPR and CCPA. It provides a cohesive view of customer interactions.
Companies with a data strategy and a need to integrate customer data from multiple sources will find the most value in CDPs. Mid-sized to large enterprises in sectors such as retail, financial services, and healthcare benefit significantly. Advanced analytics, real-time personalization, and multi-channel engagement enhance customer loyalty and engagement.
Buyers look for CDPs to centralize customer data. IT, data management, sales, and service teams all contribute. Retail, manufacturing, and healthcare firms invest in CDPs to integrate customer data, improve analytics, and refine engagement strategies; this effort aims to create a single customer view. This supports targeted marketing and boosting loyalty.
Read more category news and updates
Acquisitions are reshaping the customer-data-platform category, with companies combining real-time customer data and AI capabilities to strengthen marketing and activation for e-commerce brands.
BlueConic has acquired Blueshift to enhance its platform with AI-driven cross-channel marketing capabilities. Opensend has acquired Fueled.io to enhance customer data activation for e-commerce brands.