In one sentence
Zero-party data is information customers choose to tell you directly, like their preferences in a quiz, their skin type in a survey or their birthday at sign-up, so you can personalize without guessing.
Zero-party data examples
- Product finder quiz answers: skin type, room size, skill level
- Preference center choices: which emails they want and how often
- Sign-up details like birthday or who they're shopping for
- Post-purchase surveys: why they bought, how they found you
Zero-party vs. first-party data
First-party data
Zero-party data
How you get it
You observe what customers do
Customers tell you on purpose
Example
They browsed running shoes three times
They told you they run trails
Accuracy
Inferred from behavior
Stated in their own words
See first-party data for what you learn from behavior.
How to collect and use zero-party data
- Give something back: a better recommendation, a discount or a useful result.
- Ask only what you'll use.
- Use the answers right away, in product recommendations and email flows.
- Feed survey answers about how customers found you into your attribution.
Related terms