What is zero-party data in marketing?

What Is Zero-Party Data?

Zero-party data is information that customers willingly and explicitly provide to a brand. It's data the customer knows is being collected and has chosen to share directly—no tracking pixels, cookies, or behavioral inference required. This includes preferences, purchase intentions, personal interests, communication preferences, and demographic information provided voluntarily.

Zero-Party vs. First-Party vs. Third-Party Data

Understanding the data hierarchy is critical for modern marketing:

Zero-Party Data: Customer explicitly shares information (e.g., "I prefer email over SMS", "I'm interested in running shoes"). Highest trust, highest accuracy, fully compliant with privacy regulations.

First-Party Data: Data collected directly from customer interactions on your owned channels—website behavior, purchase history, email engagement. Tracked through cookies and analytics tools. Still valuable post-third-party cookie deprecation.

Third-Party Data: Data purchased from external sources or data brokers about audiences. Increasingly restricted (Google phasing out third-party cookies by 2025). Lower accuracy, higher privacy concerns.

How Brands Collect Zero-Party Data

Direct Collection Methods

• Preference Centers: Allow customers to specify communication frequency, channel preferences, and content interests
• Surveys & Quizzes: Interactive tools asking about preferences, pain points, or product interests (e.g., "What's your skin type?")
• Registration Forms: Capture preferences during signup or account creation
• Conversational Marketing: Chatbots and live chat asking qualifying questions
• Feedback Forms: Post-purchase surveys asking about satisfaction and future needs
• Interactive Content: Assessments, calculators, or configurators that require input
• Loyalty Programs: Members voluntarily share preferences to earn rewards

Technology Platforms

Common tools for zero-party data collection:

• Preference Management: Segment, Tealium, Treasure Data
• Survey Tools: Typeform, Qualtrics, SurveySparrow
• CDP Platforms: Segment, mParticle, Lytics (integrate zero-party with other data)
• Email Platforms: HubSpot, Klaviyo, Iterable (preference centers built-in)
• Conversational Tools: Drift, Intercom, Zendesk (capture intent through chat)

Why Zero-Party Data Matters in 2025

Privacy Compliance

Zero-party data is the most privacy-friendly approach. It requires explicit consent and aligns with GDPR, CCPA, and emerging regulations. No legal gray areas—customers know exactly what they're sharing.

Third-Party Cookie Deprecation

Google's elimination of third-party cookies (delayed to late 2024/2025) makes zero-party data increasingly valuable. Brands can't rely on external data sources anymore; they must build direct relationships.

Accuracy & Relevance

Customers' stated preferences are more accurate than inferred behavior. Someone who says "I want weekly product recommendations" is more likely to engage than someone whose browsing history suggests interest. This reduces wasted ad spend and improves conversion rates.

Customer Trust

Transparent data collection builds brand loyalty. Customers appreciate brands that ask permission and respect preferences. Gartner research shows 60% of consumers are more likely to trust brands that ask for zero-party data.

Better Personalization

Zero-party data enables 1-to-1 personalization at scale. You know exactly what each customer wants, not what an algorithm guesses they want.

Real-World Examples

Sephora: Their "Beauty Insider" program uses preference quizzes and profile settings to collect zero-party data about skin type, color preferences, and fragrance interests—enabling highly personalized product recommendations.

Netflix: Asks new users to rate shows and select genres before watching. This zero-party input powers the entire recommendation engine.

Spotify: Playlist creation and "Save" actions are zero-party signals of preference. Users also complete preference surveys during signup.

Starbucks: The app asks for drink preferences and dietary restrictions, enabling personalized offers and recommendations.

Challenges & Limitations

Low Participation Rates

Customers are survey-fatigued. Getting 10-20% of your audience to complete a preference survey is considered strong. Incentives (discounts, loyalty points) help but add cost.

Outdated Information

Preferences change. A customer who said "I prefer email" 18 months ago might now prefer SMS. Requires regular re-engagement and preference refresh.

Incomplete Coverage

You'll never collect zero-party data from all customers. Some won't complete surveys. You still need first-party and contextual data for the full picture.

Privacy Skepticism

Some customers distrust data collection, even when transparent. Clearly communicate how you'll use their data and honor those commitments.

Best Practices for Zero-Party Data Strategy

1. Make It Worth Their Time

Offer immediate value: "Answer 3 questions to get a personalized product recommendation" beats "Help us understand you better." Incentivize with discounts, exclusive content, or loyalty points.

2. Keep It Short

Limit surveys to 3-5 questions. Longer forms have 50%+ higher abandonment rates.

3. Explain the Benefit

Tell customers why you're asking: "So we can send you relevant recommendations" not "For our records."

4. Make Preference Changes Easy

Allow customers to update preferences anytime through a preference center. This builds trust and keeps data current.

5. Respect Preferences

This is non-negotiable. If someone says "no promotional emails," don't send them. Violating stated preferences destroys trust and invites unsubscribes.

6. Combine With First-Party Data

Zero-party data is most powerful when combined with first-party behavioral data. Preferences + behavior = complete customer understanding.

7. Refresh Regularly

Re-engage customers annually with preference updates. Use lifecycle triggers (welcome, post-purchase, re-engagement) to collect fresh zero-party data.

Zero-Party Data in the Marketing Tech Stack

Integrate zero-party data collection into your existing platforms:

• Email Marketing: Preference centers in HubSpot, Klaviyo, or Iterable
• CDP: Segment or mParticle to unify zero-party with first-party data
• Advertising: Use zero-party preferences to segment audiences in Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn
• CRM: Store preferences in Salesforce or HubSpot for sales team alignment
• Analytics: Track which zero-party segments convert best

Bottom Line

Zero-party data is the most accurate, privacy-compliant, and customer-friendly data type available. As third-party cookies disappear and privacy regulations tighten, collecting zero-party data through surveys, preference centers, and direct conversations becomes essential. The key is making it easy and valuable for customers to share—and then respecting their preferences to build long-term trust. Combine zero-party data with first-party behavioral data for the most complete customer view.