• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 24, 2024

Email teams at big brands may be getting undone by their customer data platforms (CDPs), judging by “What’s next for the customer data platform?”, a study by MessageGears.

Of the companies polled, 90% use more than one CDP. The study finds that 44% use three CDPs, and 23% utilize two or four. 

And to what end? Just 10% feel their CDP meets all their needs, while only 1% feel it will meet all their future requirements. 

Moreover, 27% believe their CDP cannot keep up with growing data volume, while 27% face security and compliance issues. And 26% are dealing with performance and reliability challenges. 

(CDPs are defined as software applications that unify a company’s customer data from marketing and other channels. The term was invented by David Raab in 2013). 

The study points toward use of composable CDPs as opposed to packaged CDPs. A packaged CDP is a stand-alone platform that stores a copy of customer data on their own servers.

Of the companies polled, 56% prefer a composable CDP when purchasing a new solution. And of those using one, 86% are satisfied. 

Meanwhile, here is how  brands use their CDPs:

• Real-time customer engagement and personalization — 40% 
• Cross-departmental collaboration and data sharing — 39% 
• Managing and optimizing the customer journey — 38% 
• Ensuring data privacy and compliance - 37%

But many use cases just are not available:

• Improve data-driven decision making — 24% 
• Improve sales strategies and performance — 23% 
• Enhance data-driven product development — 23% 
• Automate and streamline marketing processes — 22% 
• Track and measure customer behavior and trends — 22% 

Here is a wish list for CDP features, including many that could come right out of. the email department:

• Offers AI and predictive intelligence — 67%
• Securely stores and uses customers’ personal data — 66%
• Data security and compliance features — 65%
• In-depth analytics and reporting — 65%
• Provides real-time access to customer data — 64%
• Data governance — 63% 
• Efficient and knowledgeable customer support — 62% 
• Data ingestion — 61% 
• Identities highly specific customer audiences — 61%
• Real-time triggers — 59% 

MessageGears partnered with Hanover Research to survey 300 technology, marketing and martech professionals in the U.S. and U.K. in May 2024.