Now let’s dive deeper into the world of Customer Data Platforms. If you work with any marketing or technology system, understanding how it functions behind the scenes is essential. To make this easier, I’ve broken the CDP into a set of logical layers.
Each layer performs a specific role, and in this series, we’ll explore what happens inside each one, purely from a functional, marketer friendly perspective. No technical jargon. No engineering-heavy deep dives.
Because this deep dive is fairly extensive, I’ve split it into multiple articles. You can explore each layer of the CDP using the links below:
- Data Collection Layer: Captures customer data from every channel and brings it into the CDP in real time or batches.
- Identity Resolution Layer: Stitches all customer identifiers together to create one unified, accurate customer profile.
- Storage Layer: Stores all customer data, profiles, events, and history in a secure, centralized vault.
- Profile & Segmentation Layer: Builds rich customer profiles and creates dynamic, real-time segments for targeting.
- Activation Layer: Distributes CDP segments to marketing tools and channels to power campaigns.
- Insights & Analytics Layer: Provides intelligence, reporting, and predictions to optimize targeting and campaign performance.
- Journey Orchestration Layer: Automates customer journeys and triggers personalized actions based on real-time behavior.
As we move through the series, each article will break down one layer at a time explaining what it does, why it matters, and how marketers actually use it in day today campaigns.
