20+ Ways to Collect Zero Party Data

As cookies are slowly and painfully going away for marketers and advertisers, the interest in zero-party data has surged. More and more business owners now want to acquire data directly from their customers and fill the forthcoming gap in their marketing campaigns caused by the cookiepocalypse.

If you are uncertain about zero-party data’s importance or can’t distinguish it from other data types, below are the primary reasons for making it a crucial part of a successful marketing campaign and the advantages that make it stand out!

If you already know about it but still wonder how to collect zero-party data, scroll down and find 20+ ways you can use to do so.

Why is Zero-Party Data Important?

Zero-party data is crucial as it allows you to acquire information about your customers’ needs and preferences. Google is slowly phasing out third-party cookies, and zero-party data is one of the best alternatives advertisers can use in the future. Unlike first-party, second-party, or third-party data, zero-party data helps build relationships with customers. Because customers proactively share information with you, it’s more accurate than any other data type.

Advantages of Zero-Party Data

• Accuracy
• Understanding customers’ needs
• Better personalization
• Less guesswork
• Better-quality data
• Trustworthiness
• Building meaningful relationships
• Increased Conversions

Zero-Party vs. First, Second, and Third-Party Data

Zero-party data, unlike other data types, is Information customers proactively share with you after you ask them to do so. In comparison, you collect first-party data automatically on the channels you own, such as your website, and: It is behavioral information, like how they navigate your website.  Second-party data is information you can buy from another company’s first-party data with permission to use. 

Finally, third-party data is information you collect without a direct relationship with customers, such as buying it from data aggregators. 

20+ Ways to Collect Zero-Party Data

Now that we are on the same page about the importance of zero-party data let’s explore some of the most effective ways to accumulate it.

1. Registration

User signups are the simplest and one of the best sources of zero-party data. Here you can ask for basic information like their name, contact information, email, and demographics such as gender and age. Here you can also add questions you think will give you an insight into your customers’ future relationship with your products.

2. Quizzes

Quizzes make the shopping experience more fun and interactive and are a double win for customers and website owners. On one side, companies can collect valuable information about customers’ needs. On the other side, customers can benefit from product recommendations based on the answers they provided in the quiz. For instance, if you sell vintage clothes, you could create a quiz to ask customers about their fabric, clothing type, and style preferences. You can let them choose an image reference to what they are looking for, ask what period they want clothes to belong to, and what condition they want their clothes to be. Finally, you can provide them with all available options in the inventory.

3. Pop-ups

Businesses use pop-ups for all kinds of reasons, and acquiring zero-party data is one of them. Using multi-step pop-ups is exceptionally helpful as they are more interactive and help progressively capture additional data. However, to gain results, you must provide customers with an apparent reason for asking for the data, such as offering relevant discounts. 

4. Giveaways

Consumers love free stuff, so giveaways can not only attract more customers to your store, increase the number of followers, and increase interactions but will help acquire more zero-party data. Depending on what information you think you need to obtain from customers, you can ask them in exchange for free entry.

5. Surveys

Surveys are excellent for learning more about customers’ needs and preferences and understanding how your products match their goals. Here, you can ask about their past experiences with your website and product or how they learned about your company.

Post-purchase surveys are pretty standard amongst eCommerce businesses, and you can send them follow-up emails to gain feedback about their purchase.

6. Social Media Polls

Social media polls are another great and simple way to connect with customers and accumulate collective zero-party data. You can successfully use them for various reasons, like finding out which product flavor they like more or what they’d like to see in the inventory.

7. Local Events

Local events are one of the best places to acquire zero-party data for a good reason – people here come to spend time, and if you offer fun experiences, they’ll be willing to collaborate. Quizzes, polls, and giveaways can work wonders at local events and keep zero-party data flowing.

8. Loyalty Programs

‍Loyalty programs are a great starting point for meaningful relationships with your customers and provide you with thousands of opportunities to reward them for different interactions with your brand. Loyalty programs allow you to gather first-party data in exchange for perks like personalized products, free shipping, and discounted items.

9. Product Onboarding

Product onboarding is another excellent opportunity to ask the right questions and acquire zero-party data. Information you collect through product onboarding can help you better understand your customers’ pain points and what features they are looking for in your product.

10. Email Campaigns

Email is a beautiful medium to stay in touch with your customers and allows you to acquire zero-party data through distributing incentives for obtaining information. However, you will gain better results only after you’ve already collected some sort of zero-party data to create personalized emails enough so that customers will want to respond.

11. Contests

Unlike giveaways, contests usually offer a larger prize of a much bigger value. The bigger the prize, the more people will want to enter, and what serves as an entry ticket will be up to you. Use contests to acquire data that will be worth the winning prize you offer and the effort you invest in hosting them.

12. Lead magnets

Email marketing gurus are very familiar with lead magnets; they are the most straightforward way to collect email addresses and are excellent for collecting zero-party data. Lead magnets are free incentives you can offer users in exchange for information, and they can be anything from free eBooks, video tutorials, or whitepapers.

13. In-store experiences

Even though you’ll collect most of the zero-party data online, if you own a brick-and-mortar store, it provides another excellent opportunity to gather more information. You can use first-time visitor discounts in exchange for simple information, as you use during the website signup. For existing customers, you can offer free samples they will receive after completing a questionnaire, survey, or quiz.

14. Free Samples

Free samples are great for building a customer base and are super effective in gathering zero-party data. You can advertise and distribute free samples in exchange for your prospects’ personal information.

15. Newsletter Signups

Many companies have newsletter signups on their websites, but not many use them as an opportunity to learn more about customers’ needs. Here you can ask questions about what kind of announcements they want to receive, what products interest them, their primary goals, etc.

16. Influencers

Influencers don’t provide a direct way to acquire zero-party data; rather than they allow you to reach wider audiences in your niche. Because thousands of followers trust influencers, if they share about your giveaway, write about free samples, or promote your local event, more people will likely interact; therefore, you will collect more data.

17. Games

Games provide a fun way of collecting zero-party data like quizzes and polls. Here you can make questions a part of the game you feature on the website or make a registration form with all desired questions requisite for receiving the prize or accessing ratings.

18. Email preference centers 

Even though you might have already asked users what type of content they like to receive during the newsletter signups, their needs and preferences might change. Email preference centers allow subscribers to self-personalize their email communication anytime by choosing which content they receive. Email preference centers allow zero-party data to flow in and keep you updated about your customers’ needs.  

19. Interactive Content

Interactive content offers a two-way experience and allows visitors to be a part of it rather than just spectators. Although it mainly generates first-party data, you can use it in combination with surveys and polls to generate zero-party data. For example, if you sell furniture, you can allow users to arrange a room as they like using the available furniture and choose their desired colors. Then you can ask questions about colors and their lack in the room, And what furniture interested them most.

20. Coupons or Vouchers

Consumers love coupons and vouchers, and if there’s a way to take some dollars off their purchase, they will most likely get on board. Like free incentives, you can use coupons and vouchers to acquire information.

21. Reviews

Customer reviews come with numerous benefits, and in essence, they are also a type of zero-party data. All information you gather through feedback is zero-party data that will help you learn more about your customers’ preferences, thoughts, and experiences about your products and service. Ensure to encourage reviews on your website or ask for reviews through email.