Zero-party data is becoming one of the most valuable types of customer data a brand can collect because it comes directly from the customer. Instead of guessing what people want based on behaviour alone, brands can learn about preferences, intent, and motivations through information customers choose to share.
That matters because brands need to personalise experiences without relying on assumptions about what customers want. In this guide, we’ll explain what zero-party data is, how it differs from first-party data, what it looks like in practice, and how brands can use it to create more relevant customer experiences.
What is zero-party data?
Zero-party data is information that customers deliberately and proactively share with a brand, such as their preferences, interests, purchase intentions and personal context. In simple terms, it is what customers choose to tell you directly, rather than information inferred from their behaviour.
That is what makes zero-party data valuable. It gives brands clearer signals about what customers want and can support more relevant recommendations, segmentation and personalised experiences.
Zero-party data vs first-party data: what’s the difference?
The main difference between zero-party data and first-party data is how the information is obtained. Zero-party data is intentionally shared by the customer, whereas first-party data is typically collected from their behaviour and interactions with your brand.
| Zero-Party Data vs First-Party Data: Key Differences | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aspect | Zero-party data | First-party data |
| What it is | Information a customer deliberately and proactively shares with a brand | Information a brand collects from customer behaviour, interactions, and transactions |
| How it is collected | Preference centres, quizzes, surveys, polls, onboarding questions, profile settings | Website analytics, app activity, email engagement, purchase history, customer service interactions |
| What it tells you | Stated preferences, intentions, needs, and motivations | Observed behaviour, actions, and historical patterns |
| Main strength | Helps brands personalise with more explicit and consent-based input | Helps brands understand real behaviour at scale over time |
| Best use cases | Preference capture, product matching, personalisation, channel choices, loyalty experiences | Segmentation, journey optimisation, campaign performance, repeat purchase analysis |
Zero-party data examples: what do customers actually share?
Zero-party data can take many forms, but the common thread is simple: the customer intentionally shares the information with you. Here are some common examples of zero-party data that brands may collect and use.
- Product preferences: Favourite styles, colours, sizes, flavours, or categories.
- Communication preferences: Preferred channel, message type, or contact frequency.
- Personal interests: Topics, hobbies, goals, or lifestyle choices shared through quizzes or sign-up flows.
- Purchase intentions: What someone is planning to buy, when they want to buy, or what problem they are trying to solve.
- Profile information: Details such as skin type, gifting needs, fitness level, or experience level.
- Feedback and opinions: Survey responses, poll answers, ratings, and stated satisfaction.
- Loyalty and reward preferences: The types of perks, rewards, or offers a customer values most.
For example, a customer telling you “I prefer fragrance-free skincare” is zero-party data. Browsing several fragrance-free product pages without stating this directly would usually be first-party behavioural data.
Why is zero-party data valuable for brands?
Zero-party data becomes even more important in 2026 because brands need trustworthy customer insights, not just signals they must interpret. Instead of guessing intent from clicks, views, or browsing behaviour alone, brands can rely on information customers intentionally share, such as preferences, needs, and purchase intentions.
This is especially crucial as privacy expectations continue to rise. Customers want relevant experiences but also desire more control over what they share and why. Zero-party data supports this shift because the value exchange is transparent: the customer knows what they are providing, and the brand receives data that is clearer, more honest, and easier to handle responsibly.
It is also more helpful for personalisation. Behavioural data can show what someone did, but it does not always explain their true desires. Zero-party data is different because it is explicit. When a customer tells you what they prefer, what they are shopping for, or how they want to hear from you, you can personalise with greater confidence and less guesswork.
For brands, this means better decisions throughout the entire journey. Zero-party data can enhance segmentation, product recommendations, messaging, loyalty experiences, and campaign relevance. In a landscape where trust, relevance, and data quality matter more than ever, it provides brands with a stronger foundation for building customer relationships.
How brands collect zero-party data
Brands collect zero-party data by offering customers clear opportunities to share information directly. Common touchpoints include preference centres, quizzes, product finders, surveys, onboarding questions and loyalty experiences.
The right approach depends on what you want to learn and where the interaction fits naturally within the customer journey. For a deeper look at the different methods and when to use them, read our guide to how to collect zero-party data.
How gamification supports zero-party data
Gamification can make the value exchange for zero-party data more engaging. Quizzes, product finders and reward-led experiences give customers something useful or enjoyable in return for sharing their preferences, needs or intentions.
This can make data sharing feel more like part of the customer experience and less like completing a static form. For practical collection methods and mechanic examples, see our guide to collecting zero-party data.
How brands use zero-party data for personalisation and segmentation
Collecting zero-party data is only the first step. Its real value lies in using what customers choose to share to make the next experience more relevant.
Brands can use zero-party data to improve segmentation, personalise product recommendations, tailor lifecycle messaging and adapt offers or content to customer preferences and intent. It can also make onsite journeys more relevant by helping customers see options that better match what they have already told you.
The key is closing the loop. If customers share their preferences but continue to receive generic experiences, the value exchange quickly disappears.
Where Odicci fits into a zero-party data strategy
Understanding zero-party data is one thing. Turning customer input into an experience people actually want to complete is another. This is where the right zero-party data platform or interactive marketing technology can help.
Odicci helps ecommerce and retail teams use quizzes, product finders, reward-led journeys and interactive experiences to capture declared customer preferences and connect those signals to wider personalisation, CRM and loyalty journeys.
Explore our gamification platform to see how Odicci supports zero-party data strategies, or book a demo to discuss the right starting point for your brand.