Customer Data Platform
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a software system that collects, unifies, and organizes customer data from multiple sources into a single, centralized customer profile. It enables businesses to create a comprehensive, 360-degree view of each customer by integrating data from online and offline interactions, such as website visits, purchases, email engagements, and CRM entries. CDPs are designed to make this unified data accessible to other marketing, sales, and analytics tools for personalized customer experiences and data-driven decision-making.
Developers should learn and use CDPs when building or integrating systems for customer-centric applications, such as personalized marketing campaigns, real-time customer service, or advanced analytics. They are essential in e-commerce, SaaS, and retail industries where understanding customer behavior across channels is critical for segmentation, targeting, and improving customer lifetime value. CDPs help overcome data silos, ensuring consistent and actionable insights across an organization's tech stack.