The RTCDP Story: A Data Journey
To understand how Real-Time CDP works, it’s helpful to think of it as a journey that your customer data takes. This journey transforms raw, disconnected data points into a valuable asset that can power personalized customer experiences. The entire process follows a logical, continuous flow from collection to action.
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Here is a simple, narrative overview of the five key stages in the data journey:
- Ingestion: The journey begins by collecting data from all the places your customers interact with you. This is like gathering raw ingredients from different suppliers. Real-Time CDP uses connectors called Sources to pull in data from a wide range of systems in real time, including:
- Online: Website activity, mobile app usage
- Offline: In-store purchases, call center logs
- Enterprise Systems: CRM records, loyalty databases
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Standardization: Creating a Common Language Before these different “ingredients” can be combined, they need to be understood in a common language. This is where the Experience Data Model (XDM) comes in. XDM provides a standard structure, or Schema, for your data. It ensures that “email address” from your CRM is treated the same as “email address” from your website, preventing confusion.
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Unification: Building the 360-Degree Profile This is the heart of the CDP. The Identity Service acts like a master detective, looking for clues (like an email address, a loyalty ID, or a device ID) to link different data points to the same person. It intelligently stitches these fragments together to build and enrich a single, unified
Real-Time Customer Profile for each individual. This profile is constantly updated as new data arrives. -
Segmentation: Grouping for Relevance With a rich database of unified profiles, you can now group your customers into meaningful audiences, or Segments. Using an intuitive interface, you can build rules to find specific groups, such as:
“High-value customers who live in California.”
“Users who abandoned their shopping cart in the last 24 hours.”
“Loyalty members who are at risk of churning.” -
Activation: Putting the Data to Work The final stage is to make these audiences actionable. Activation is the process of sending your segments and profile data to other platforms, called Destinations, to power your marketing and personalization efforts. This could mean sending an audience to:
An email platform for a targeted campaign.
A social media network for a custom ad campaign.
Your website’s personalization engine to tailor the content for returning visitors.
This end-to-end flow—from raw data to activated experience—is the core story of Real-Time CDP.