Companies have been grappling for years with how to personalize customer interactions without being creepy, and data deprecation only adds more complexity. Though Google scrapped its plans to deprecate the third-party cookie, privacy regulations and consumer use of privacy-protecting browsers and tools motivate brands to focus on collecting data directly from consumers. Doing so helps drive personalization across both known and unknown site visitors, builds consent into the workflow, and creates a more transparent approach to personalization. But this presents a new challenge: how to ask consumers for data in a way that is user-friendly and encourages them to share their information.

Zero-Party Data Helps Brands Better Understand Consumers

Even first-party data has its limits when encountering new prospects or unknown site visitors. Zero-party data experiences, such as a quick poll, quiz, or website widget, provide high-quality, accurate data from consumers directly.

Forrester defines zero-party data as:

Data that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand. It can include preference center data, purchase intentions, personal context, and how the individual wants the brand to recognize them.

The most successful zero-party data experiences are short, simple, and offer a clear value exchange. We just updated our report, An Illustrated Guide To Collecting Zero-Party Data, which showcases updated examples of asking for zero-party data for three use cases: product recommendations, consumer segmentation, and market research.

MECCA Australia, a beauty retailer, draws consumers to a skincare quiz through a banner at the top of the website. This quiz asks seven questions about the shopper’s skin type, skincare routine, goals, and more, with questions such as “Where are you in your skin journey?” and “How would you describe your skin?” This is data that MECCA can’t infer, observe, or buy with certainty, which makes it highly valuable. And MECCA can use this data to understand how to communicate relevantly and personalize the customer journey. For shoppers, they receive tailored product recommendations and communications based on their answers.

For more examples and best practices, check out our new report and set up a guidance session for a deeper dive.