Omnichannel by its very nature is extremely complex. With the goal of providing the consumer with a seamless experience, tracking a consumer journey is key, but also very tricky. A customer might first see a product on a display banner, then they might use a search engine to look for that product the following day. They may then use a smartphone to find a retailer, then use an app or browser in the physical store to make online price comparisons. Finally, they might use a laptop a day or two later to actually make the purchase.

The question is: How do you track and collate that data, and apply what it tells you about the consumer to then target them in a consistent way across all channels? Well, what you need is a tool that collects data from multiple sources, manages that data, and then lets you leverage it to make marketing decisions. That’s where a DMP, or Data Managing Platform, steps in.

What does a DMP do?

A DMP collects data from a variety of first, second- and third-party sources, and makes it available to other platforms (DSPs, SSPs, ad exchanges) to be used for targeted advertising, personalisation, content customisation and more. It essentially connects the many platforms of ad tech in order to exploit powerful sets of data.

How does a DMP work?

A DMP can collect audience data from any source, such as desktop, mobile web and app, analytics tools, CRM, POS, social media, online video… the list goes on. First-party data, the data you collect yourself, can be collected based on behaviour like clicks, downloads, uploads, as well as demographic data. An effective DMP will then help you:

-Organise your data

-Segment data and build customer audiences

-Build insights and audience profile reports

-Activate the data so it can be used by DSPs, SSPs and beyond

So how does this all work out in practice? For example, a business can use a DMP to collect and organize data, then use that data to target a particular ad to mothers aged between 25 and 35 who are in a specific location. But the applications really are endless, and a DSP can help you move towards a truly seamless experience for potential customers across all channels.

Who can benefit?

Any business can benefit from a DMP, but publishers, marketers and agencies probably have the most to gain. A DMP allows publishers to capture first-party audience data, which they can then use or sell on to second- and third parties.

Marketers and agencies can use DMPs to identify and classify audiences at a much deeper level and to gather an extra layer of data about them. This then allows marketers to identify and target prospects who look and act exactly like existing valuable customers.

So if you haven’t been using a DMP to support your omni-channel approach, now’s the time to start.