Zero-party data is information that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand — such as preferences, purchase intentions, and communication choices.
The term was coined by Forrester to distinguish data that customers volunteer (survey responses, preference center selections, quiz answers, wishlist items) from first-party data that is observed through behavior (page views, clicks, purchases).
Zero-party data is the most valuable data a brand can collect because it reflects explicit intent, not inferred intent. When a customer tells you they prefer email over SMS and are interested in running shoes, that is more reliable than inferring it from browsing history. A CDP captures and unifies zero-party data alongside behavioral and transactional data to build a complete, consent-based customer profile.
Read More: First, Second and Third-Party Data: How Are They Different?
