What is a CDP?
Customer data platforms—identity resolution, audiences, and activation compared to CRM and warehouses.
A CDP (customer data platform) ingests events and profiles from many sources, builds unified customer views, and activates segments to downstream tools (ads, email, support).
CDP vs neighbors
| System | Primary job |
|---|---|
| CRM | Sales pipeline and account records |
| Data warehouse | Analyst SQL across the business |
| CDP | Marketer-controlled profiles + audience sync |
| ESP | Message delivery |
When a CDP helps
- Multiple touchpoints (web, app, store, support) need consistent segments
- Marketing owns audience logic without filing tickets for every SQL change
When to wait
- Single Shopify + one ESP may be enough with good event design
- No identity strategy—CDP becomes expensive duplicate storage
Pair with server-side tracking when browsers block client pixels.