What's the Difference Between First-Party and Zero-Party Data?
First-party data is what you observe on your own channels: the pages someone visits, what they buy, which emails they open. Zero-party data is what they tell you on purpose, like which products they care about or when they plan to buy.
The difference shows up when you use it. First-party data records behaviour, so you still have to guess at intent. Zero-party data states the intent, so you can segment on it straight away (and the person knows they gave it to you).
A giveaway can collect both in one entry:
- Add an Answer a Question Action that asks about preferences or buying plans. Each answer is zero-party data.
- Add a Subscribe to a Newsletter Action, so entrants who opt in go straight to your email provider as first-party contacts.
Every answer shows against the entrant on the Actions / Entries tab and in your CSV export, so you can segment your first email on what each person said they wanted.