First-party data is all of the information on a user that is collected by the company itself. This contrasts with third party data, where data comes from external sources.
First-party data represents a valuable resource for the analysis and optimization of a company’s offer.
In an online context, this mainly refers to data that is collected directly on one’s own website or via a link between advertising media and a Customer Data Platform (CDP).
In e-commerce, these are demographic characteristics – such as the name, gender, and address of the user – as well as the shopping history, surfing behavior on the website and email address of the customer. This information is often stored in a CRM system or CDP.
Far too often, this data potential lies unused and is at most applied for order processing and newsletter dispatch. However, if this data is cleverly aggregated and analyzed, it can be used in data-driven marketing to personalisiere and improve the website. For example, a customer who has already made several purchases may be tempted to buy through a loyalty offer, while a customer interested in certain products may be tempted buy only if made a specific offer.
Combined with second and third-party data, this results in an almost complete picture of the users on the website. It is important not to create data silos when collecting and evaluating the data – only then can a consistent customer journey and user approach be guaranteed.