A customer data platform, or CDP, is a type of software that centralizes customer data from multiple sources. It brings together data from channels like websites, mobile apps, CRM systems, and offline transactions.
The goal of a CDP is to create a unified customer profile. This profile includes both real-time behaviors and historical data, giving marketers a complete view of each individual.
CDPs are designed to make customer data usable across teams. They provide tools to manage, segment, and activate audiences at scale.
By connecting real-time insights with marketing systems, a CDP helps businesses deliver more relevant, personalized customer experiences. It also improves efficiency by reducing data silos and manual data processing.
Learn more about CDPs
Adobe Real-Time CDP is a customer data platform built on Adobe Experience Platform. It unifies both known and unknown customer data in a single system.
The platform creates real-time, trusted customer profiles using data from multiple sources. This includes behavioral, transactional, and demographic data.
With these unified profiles, marketers can build intelligent audience segments using AI and rule-based logic. Segments update in real time as new data is collected.
Adobe Real-Time CDP supports immediate activation across channels. This allows brands to deliver personalized experiences throughout the digital customer journey.
The platform also simplifies data integration and governance. It helps teams use customer data responsibly while increasing marketing precision and speed.
Consumer data integration is a series of protocols and processes that combine and organize customer data from multiple sources. CDI connects with multiple databases and imports the information into a single silo.
Information gathered in one place is easier to manage, access, and secure. Even more importantly, customer data gathered in one place enhances the organization’s ability to analyze and visualize the data — and do so in minimal time.
CDI is a crucial component of any business strategy that seeks to make decisions based on consumer behavior.
The main difference between a DMP, CDP, and CRM is the primary purpose for which customer data is stored and organized. Between managing existing customers, marketing to potential customers, or integrating that information to create a unified customer profile, each platform uses data in different ways.
A customer data platform (CDP) builds a robust, varied picture of customers by collecting data from a wide array of sources. A CDP combines customer data from your website, customer service interactions, mobile app visits, physical visits to a store, and even a CRM or DMP.
The focus of a customer relationship management (CRM) platform is managing relationships with existing customers and leads. It helps organize data such as purchase history, customer contact information, and any communications that might have happened with that individual.
A data management platform (DMP) pulls user data from third parties to target audiences more efficiently and segment key attributes. It captures user data, anonymizes it, and then exchanges it with other companies for targeted advertising.
Yes. Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a
single system for customer data management across the customer lifecycle — from a prospect that has never engaged with the brand before to a first-time site visitor, return visitor, converted customer, and loyal frequent customer of various products or services across lines of business.
Real-time segmentation refers to the instant grouping of users based on live data. This can include their current behavior, recent actions, or up-to-date attributes.
Unlike traditional segmentation, which relies on static or historical data, real-time segmentation responds to what users are doing in the moment. This allows marketers to adapt immediately.
By using real-time data, businesses can personalize content, experiences, or offers as users engage. This improves relevance and increases the chance of conversion.
Real-time segmentation helps marketers meet users’ needs and preferences as they happen. This leads to stronger engagement, faster decision-making, and higher campaign performance.
