Nine Out of 10 Companies Report that Using First-Party Data Improves Customer Experiences, Twilio Research Shows

71% of UK consumers trust that brands only use first-party data in personalisation, yet only 5% of UK brands use entirely first-party data in their current marketing strategy

Research from Twilio, the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalised experiences for today’s leading brands, shows that first-party data is fundamental to driving marketing success and, by extension, business success.

Twilio’s fourth annual State of Customer Engagement Report reveals that nine in ten (89%) companies agree that using first-party data in marketing improves customer experiences.

However, two years on from Apple’s IDFA changes, over half (53%) of UK organisations still rely on third-party data. Three in ten (29%) report using an even mix of third-party and first-party data, 14% use mostly first-party data, and just 5% use only first-party customer data.

This is the second set of UK data to be released from Twilio’s State of Customer Engagement Report, based on a survey of more than 4,700 B2C leaders in key sectors across the world, plus a parallel survey of over 6,000 global consumers. The study also incorporated data from Twilio’s own customer engagement platform, including Twilio Segment, the leading customer data platform (CDP) for 2021 market share according to IDC.

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The data shows that seven in ten (71%) consumers trust that the brands they do business with will only use first-party data in personalisation – revealing a major gap between what consumers expect and current marketing practices.

Organisations have a long way to go to catch up, yet only a third of UK brands (33%) report that shifting to first-party data is a critical priority, and just four in ten (38%) UK companies are prioritising first-party data as part of their personalisation strategy.

“Brands shouldn’t see the transition to first-party data as something that is being forced upon them,” said Sam Richardson, Customer Engagement Consultant at Twilio. “First-party data comes directly from consumers, so it is more accurate and better reflects present demand. This means there’s a massive opportunity here for companies to deliver safe, secure, and highly personalised customer experiences and can have a positive impact on their bottom line. With huge potential gains for customer engagement and long-term loyalty, first-party data must be at the core of any successful marketing strategy.”