Customer data platforms have come a long way from their original job of simply collecting and unifying data. Today, B2C brands expect their CDP to do far more — power real-time decisioning, provide the intelligence and activation to orchestrate journeys across every channel, and act as the foundation for AI-driven personalization at scale. Against that backdrop, we're proud to share that Adobe has been named a Leader, in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Data Platforms For B2C, Q3 2026.
Here's why that matters for our customers — and where we think the market is headed next.
A Leader customers can act on today.
Choosing a CDP is a long-term commitment, which is why so many buying decisions come down to a simple question: can this vendor deliver value now, or am I betting on a roadmap that might not materialize?
For customers, that question has a clear answer. In this evaluation, Adobe received the top score in the current offering category— which we believe means the capabilities enterprises need to succeed aren't theoretical or in development, they're available today. Customers don't have to wait and see whether Adobe's strategy pays off down the line; they can put Adobe's Real-Time CDP to work immediately, while benefiting from a roadmap built to keep pace with where the category is going.
Depth and breadth that translate into adoption and results.
A CDP is only as valuable as an organization's ability to actually use it — and use it well. Adobe received the highest scores possible in 14 criteria, including top scores for:
- Customer audience targeting and segmentation — helping marketers precisely define and act on the audiences that matter most
- Reports and dashboards — giving teams the visibility they need to measure impact and optimize in real time
- Optimization and performance management — turning data and audiences into measurably better outcomes
Capability alone doesn't create value; organizations need to be equipped to use that capability. Adobe also received a top score for Adoption; helping customers to find value from their investment. That combination of breadth and enablement is what helps customers move faster from implementation to measurable ROI, in a market where competitive advantage increasingly depends on speed.
Where Forrester sees the market going — and where Adobe already is.
Forrester describes the B2C CDP category evolving beyond data transit to power data utility. That’s all seen as table stakes. The movement now is toward data utility — audience activation, journey orchestration, and decisioning, increasingly powered by embedded AI.
That's not a new direction for Adobe; it's the direction we've already been building toward. Our continued investment in AI-driven decisioning, agentic capabilities, and connected customer engagement — including innovations like CX Enterprise Coworker — is designed around exactly this shift: helping customers move from simply aggregating data to acting on it intelligently, across every touchpoint.
Adobe is building exactly where the market is going and what customers will need next, not just where it's been.
The takeaway for CDP buyers.
Choosing a CDP shouldn't require a leap of faith. For Adobe, this recognition reinforces and validates what we hear consistently from our customers: Adobe delivers the current capabilities to drive results today, the depth and adoption support to help teams realize that value quickly, and a strategy aligned with where the market — and Forrester — sees the category heading next.
Download and read the full report here.
Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. This report is part of a broader collection of Forrester resources, including interactive models, frameworks, tools, data, and access to analyst guidance. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity.
