How to build a CDP use case

Before delving into a specific CDP use case, it’s essential to emphasize the importance of the iterative approach. Often, organizations tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer possibilities of a CDP and aim for complex solutions right from the start. Instead, adopting a ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach can be highly beneficial.

To begin, start small – perhaps by addressing a straightforward use case and gradually build upon it. This way, you can understand how the CDP integrates into your existing systems and learn to harness its full potential progressively.

A use case in a CDP has eight main pillars. Here is how they can add value to your business.

1. Measurement

Defining measurable objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial when developing a CDP use case. For instance, in a cart abandonment use case, the measurement could involve tracking the abandonment rate, the number of recovered carts and the increase in revenue.

2. Business value

To determine the business value, you need to identify the direct impact the use case will have on your organization. In the context of cart abandonment, the business value is evident in the form of increased revenue through recovered sales and improved customer retention.

3. Activation

Activation refers to the action you take based on the data and insights provided by the CDP. In a cart abandonment use case, activation involves sending personalized reminders or offers to customers who have abandoned their carts. Activation strategies should be well-defined and designed to achieve the objectives set in the measurement phase.

4. Connectors

Connectors are the bridges that link your CDP with other tools and platforms. In the case of cart abandonment, you would need connectors to integrate your CDP with your email marketing platform, SMS or app notification tools and potentially your ecommerce platform to track and recover abandoned carts effectively.

5. Audiences

Understanding your target audience is crucial. In the context of cart abandonment, the audience would be those customers who have abandoned their shopping carts. These audiences can be further segmented based on attributes and behaviors to tailor messages and offers effectively.

6. Attributes

Attributes are the characteristics or data points that define your audience segments. In the cart abandonment use case, attributes may include the value of the abandoned cart, product categories within the cart, purchase history, and more. These attributes help you personalize your messages and offers.

7. Customer journey events

Customer journey events are specific actions or interactions that customers take along their path to purchase. In cart abandonment, the key event is abandoning a cart. Understanding the customer journey events lets you pinpoint when and why potential customers drop off.

8. Data sources

Data sources are the places where the relevant data is collected. Data sources in the cart abandonment use case include your website, ecommerce platform, customer relationship management (CRM) system and CDP. Data from these sources is used to track customer behavior, gather cart abandonment data, and trigger activation processes. It is important to underscore the need for data quality and consistency from these sources to ensure accurate results.

By considering these elements, you create a comprehensive framework for building a CDP use case that is well-defined, measurable and aligned with your business objectives.

Here is how it all comes together in a framework.

To further examine the use cases, see the below graphic with example-specific definitions.

In conclusion, building a CDP use case involves careful planning. Focusing on measurable objectives, business impact, targeted activation strategies, data integration through connectors, well-defined audience segments, relevant attributes, customer journey events and the data sources that power the entire process is important. When executed effectively, CDP use cases can significantly improve your marketing efforts, customer engagement and overall business outcomes.