Embarking on a Customer Data Platform (CDP) project can be daunting. Ensuring it’s a success, keeping it on track and avoiding common pitfalls that can stall your data capture efforts can be challenging.

I’ve put together a list of the top 10 challenges we see with CDP implementations. And dare we say, failures.

Here’s the top 10 reasons CDP projects fail and actionable tips on how to overcome them:

1. Lack of Clear Goals & Objectives 

You think you know what you want, but have you clearly defined your objectives? It’s important to define clear and specific goals and expectations for your CDP project. Know that if you eventually don’t see any value from your CDP, it’s okay to break up with your vendor!

2. Insufficient Data Quality 

Ensure that your data is accurate, reliable, trustworthy, complete, and up to date. Building a warehouse of data that is reliant upon poor quality data sources to feed it in the first place is exacerbating the problem you already have.

3. Gaps in Data 

Gaps in data can largely be attributed to tagging and inaccuracy. Look for a solution that makes tagging obsolete and helps you instill confidence with accurate data.

4. Data Integration 

Focus on seamless integration across systems by leveraging flexible data structures that do not require extensive tagging and can adapt to diverse systems without the need for complex tagging.

5. Gaps in Digital Identity  

If you’re unable to connect the dots of a single consumer’s activity across all interactions with your CDP, that’s a problem.  Unfortunately, most organizations work with flawed identity solutions that provide broken identities and disjointed profiles. Focus on ways to connect the dots of a single consumer’s activity across all channels and interactions.

6.The Myth of Privacy and Security

CDP projects experience loss of ownership and control over their data, not to mention compliance challenges and PII risks within system integrations. Instead, look toward a data solution that is 100% fully compliant and adheres to the highest privacy and security standards without a reliance on third-party cookies.

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7. Gaps in Connectivity 

Capture data to be sent to activation and decisioning systems within milliseconds. Hours, or even days, to connect data just doesn’t cut it.   To be successful, you need to have data available in the right format at the right time, all the time.

8. Ignoring Change Management 

Change management is critical when it comes to tagging, which CDPs rely heavily on. A data capture solution that doesn’t tag helps you to avoid these headaches.

9. Failure to Measure ROI 

Solution: If you’re unable to get a full view of your data set and of an individual customer, there’s no way you’ll be able to measure ROI. This limited connectivity leaves teams scrambling to understand the entire picture and determine the true data set.

10. Inadequate Scalability 

Solution: With the volume of data exponentially growing, scalability is important. If your data structures are complex and you find yourself having to constantly alter or tweak them, you don’t have an out-of-the-box solution that can adapt to shifting needs. For example, you miss out on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) signals when everything must be built from the ground up.

The takeaway:

Improving the relationship with your customers with better data requires more than what a traditional CDP can typically offer. Don’t waste any more time and money on ineffective CDPs and look toward a solution that can help you stay on track.

About Celebrus

As a disruptive data technology platform, Celebrus is focused on improving the relationships between brands and consumers via better data. Celebrus redefines what digital identity verification means to power both next-level marketing and fraud prevention use cases. Deployed across 30+ countries throughout the financial services, healthcare, retail, travel, and telecommunications sectors, Celebrus automatically captures, contextualizes, and activates consumer behavioral data in real-time across all digital channels. Through the addition of behavioral biometrics and AI, Celebrus empowers brands to detect and prevent fraud before it occurs. To ensure that brands can begin to improve those relationships quickly, Celebrus Cloud activates the Celebrus platform efficiently for brands in a single-tenant, private cloud capacity. Learn more at www.celebrus.com.

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