CDPs have become popular because they promise to give users open access to complete customer data. Buyers understand this to mean all data, with full detail, stored over time, presented in a unified customer view, and available to any system that needs it.  But many systems fail to provide one or more of these capabilities.  Buyers who purchase CDPs are likely to be disappointed when they discover they don’t get what they expected.

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Common examples of incomplete solutions include systems that build a unified database but don’t allow other systems to read it, systems that create unified profiles in real time but don’t store data outside of the original sources, and systems that summarize data before storing it.  Each shortfall limits how the data can be used, often blocking critical applications such as identity resolution, personalization, or experience orchestration.

CDP Institute will certify compliance with the RealCDP checklist and authorize qualified vendors to display the RealCDP badge, illustrated below.