Making the Shift to First-Party Data | Blueshift

Making the Shift to First-Party Data

Learn how to collect and activate rich actionable data to deliver the right message at the right time.

Some things are hard to let go – like a love of cookies (the web kind). Our panel of experts unpack the strategies you can adopt to drive organic growth while reducing dependence on third-party data.

You’ll discover:

How to collect and use zero- and first-party data
Examples of how brands successfully use first-party data in marketing
How to be best stewards of customer data

Speakers

Nick Chappell

Product Owner, 14 West

Craig Schinn

Co-Founder, Actable

Tim Shuvaloff

Chief Analytics Officer, DFO Global

Mannie Frances

Sr. Director, Customer Success, Blueshift

Making the Shift to First-Party Data: A Webinar Transcript for Marketers

Why First-Party Data Is the Foundation for Customer-Centric Marketing

Mannie Frances, Senior Director of Customer Success at Blueshift:
Welcome to the final session of the Engage Conference. We’re closing out with a powerful topic—first-party data. Even though it’s foundational, it’s the fuel that keeps the modern marketing flywheel in motion.

Understanding the Difference Between First-Party and Zero-Party Data for Better Targeting

Nick Chappell, Product Owner at 14 West:
Think of data in two ways:

First-party data is implied behavior—clicks, page views, purchase history.
Zero-party data is explicitly provided—user-submitted preferences or interests.

Here’s a real example: my dog sat on my remote and Netflix started serving teen drama recommendations. That’s what happens when you rely too heavily on implied behavior.

How First-Party Data Enables Personalization That Drives Repeat Purchases

Tim Shuvaloff, Chief Analytics Officer at DFO Global:
The reason first-party data matters? It directly impacts revenue. With it, we can:

Trigger personalized campaigns like birthday emails.
Segment based on purchase intent and behavioral patterns.
Leverage predictive models to increase ROI.

Craig Schinn, Co-Founder at Actable:
At Actable, we help companies break down data silos and apply first-party insights across all channels. Tools like Blueshift make it easier to unify data and enable personalization at scale.

Transitioning from Spray-and-Pray Marketing to Precision Engagement in a Privacy-First World

Mannie Frances:
Legacy tactics like batch-and-blast are gone. Modern marketing requires relevance and trust.

Nick Chappell:
It’s not just about collecting data anymore. Respectful, transparent data collection wins trust. Privacy laws like CCPA and GDPR have forced better behavior—but many brands started this shift voluntarily.

Tim Shuvaloff:
Ask yourself: are we collecting data we’ll actually use? Data storage and analysis are costly. Focus on the actionable.

How Behavioral Segmentation with First-Party Data Improves Customer Lifecycle Marketing

Tim Shuvaloff:
At DFO, we sort users into three groups:

No engagement
Engaged but didn’t convert
Engaged and converted

The goal is to move users into the third group using predictive and prescriptive personalization.

Nick Chappell:
We personalize based on user content engagement—whether they’re interested in retirement strategies or trending stocks. With Blueshift’s catalog studio, we can deliver truly tailored content.

Connecting First-Party Data to Omnichannel Campaign Execution

Craig Schinn:
Today’s marketers must orchestrate across:

Email
SMS and WhatsApp
In-app messages
Direct mail
Web chat

Tim Shuvaloff:
Centralizing data is essential. Our data used to be scattered across Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google. Once we unified it, personalization became seamless.

Nick Chappell:
We overhauled our data model to fit Blueshift. This shift enabled us to go from batch-and-blast to sophisticated, omnichannel engagement.

How to Begin Your Digital Transformation Using First-Party Customer Data

Craig Schinn:
Transformation starts with:

Cross-functional collaboration
Regular data audits
Clear alignment on goals and use cases

Tim Shuvaloff:
We map ideas using a feasibility vs. value matrix to find low-effort, high-impact wins. For instance, collecting phone numbers unlocked SMS as a high-performing channel.

Nick Chappell:
One of our easiest wins was standardizing content taxonomy. It was a small change that opened big opportunities.

Staying Compliant While Scaling First-Party Data Collection and Activation

Craig Schinn:
Compliance starts with education. Invest in:

Role-based data access
Privacy training
Preference centers and third-party governance tools

Tim Shuvaloff:
Security is part of compliance. Run third-party data audits regularly. Think like Apple: anticipate privacy changes instead of reacting to them.

Nick Chappell:
Transparency will only become more important. As we approach Web3 and the metaverse, user expectations will rise. Build trust now.

Expert Advice: Building a Scalable First-Party Data Strategy for the Future

Craig:
Create cross-functional teams to own the full customer data experience.

Tim:
Ask the right questions—if you’re not using it, don’t collect it.

Nick:
Keep testing. Every experiment makes your strategy stronger.

Mannie:
You already have the data. It’s time to activate it.