Marketers are able to collect zero- and first-party customer data to drive personalized, real-time experiences across all channels, with speed, scale, and cost efficiencies

Cheetah Digital, the world’s leading independent, enterprise cross-channel marketing software company, announced today it has acquired Wayin, a global leader in zero-party data collection and activation. The acquisition strengthens Cheetah Digital’s ability to help marketers collect zero- and first-party data and preference insights to drive hyper-personalized, real-time experiences and meaningful customer engagement across all channels and stages of the customer lifecycle.

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Marketers Turn to First- and Zero-Party Data

Data is the lifeblood of modern marketing, yet bad data is fueling ineffective personalization, consumer mistrust, and has helped usher in a new age of privacy. Consumers are still willing to share their data, but only if they receive unique value in return (e.g., personalized offers, content, etc.). The surge in regulations and consumer demands have left marketers wondering how to acquire new, opted-in customer data in their marketing efforts. Forrester Research says, “Consumers want control over their info, so marketers will turn to zero-party data. While regulations like Europe’s GDPR and Vermont’s data broker registration law whittle away access to third-party data, marketers will need new ways to augment their existing first-party data. All hail zero-party data.”

Formed in 2016, Wayin is recognized as the industry leader in zero-party data – data that customers own and willingly provide to brands. Wayin helps non-technical marketers to quickly create interactive experiences that collect the data, insights, and permissions needed to activate personalized and permission-based marketing across all stages of the customer lifecycle. Working with many of the world’s leading brands such as Discovery Communications, NHL, Bauer Media, Vodafone, Priceline.com, Reckitt Benckiser, Air New Zealand, and Manchester City FC, Wayin-powered interactive experiences have collected more than 1.3 billion zero-party customer data records in the past two years alone.

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A Customer Engagement Solution for the Modern Marketer

“Marketers have never faced a tougher challenge than they do today. Consumers are demanding personalized experiences, global consumer privacy regulations mount, trust in and effectiveness of third-party sources deteriorates, and CEOs demand greater efficiency of their marketing spend. Smart marketers are turning to zero- and first-party data, to not only be compliant and build customer trust, but deliver exceptional brand experiences,” said Sameer Kazi, CEO, Cheetah Digital. “Wayin is the leader in helping marketers acquire opted-in data at scale, and now combined with our enterprise cross-channel marketing platform, Cheetah Marketing Suite, and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Cheetah Loyalty, marketers are able to put that data to work in real-time with hyper-personalized experiences across all channels. We’re excited to team up with the incredibly talented team at Wayin to help marketers create lasting customer relationships – from acquisition to loyalty.”

“Privacy and personalization can only exist in the future with a first- and zero-party data strategy, rather than third-party data that is increasingly incomplete, inaccurate, and breaches consumer trust,” said Richard Jones, CEO, Wayin. “That’s why many of the world’s biggest brands are continuing to turn to Wayin for interactive experiences, audience building, and profiling that helps them identify customers, drive rich personalization, and keep data accurate, relevant, and current – because it’s coming directly from their customers. We’re thrilled to join Cheetah Digital and continue our mission to facilitate honest, mutually beneficial relationships between brands and consumers.”

While Wayin ushered in a way to collect zero-party data, marketers still needed to connect another system to put the data to work in real-time, which can add complexity to the marketing stack  – until now. With the acquisition of Wayin, Cheetah Digital is now enabling marketers with a comprehensive customer engagement solution to acquire customer data, unify it in a single customer view, and put it to work in real-time to deliver immersive experiences across all channels and stages of the customer lifecycle.

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