Retargeting Falling Short? Boost Conversions with Strategic Zero-Party Data Collection & Activation

TL;DR: Zero-party data collection empowers customers to control the information they share and enables brands to deliver relevant, personalized experiences without relying on intrusive third-party tracking. By collecting insights directly through preference centers, surveys and onboarding forms, brands can tailor retargeting campaigns, increase conversions and future-proof their strategies against changing privacy rules.

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Capturing and retaining the attention of mobile-first audiences is a tall mountain to climb. Your customers are bombarded with information and marketing messages everywhere they turn, vying for both their time and dollars. Converting them upon first arrival, while ideal, isn’t always a given. 

Most growth teams have embraced cross-channel retargeting strategies to keep customers engaged, but not all are created equal. In fact, most rely on third-party data for browsing or lifestyle clues to personalize offers and use guesswork for optimization. You’re probably frustrated by the inefficiency in this process, while your customers are frustrated by experiences that continually miss the mark or just feel downright creepy. 

The good news? Strategic data collection is helping brands unlock more value from retargeting campaigns than traditional methods ever could. Airship research found that brands using zero-party data have been able to hyper-personalize experiences, resulting in a 91% lift in purchases. Read on to learn how you can achieve similar results from your retargeting campaigns.

The Evolution of Retargeting

For years, brands have leaned on third-party data to retarget customers who didn’t convert, gathering every bit of information they could to leverage in future campaigns. However, with third-party cookies on the decline, marketers are turning to first-party and zero-party data instead to retarget customers in more precise and less invasive ways.

Why Traditional Retargeting Falls Short 

There are a few inherent flaws in traditional retargeting methods that limit your ability to convert customers.

• The Creep Factor: We’ve all had the experience of browsing online for a new pair of shoes or sunglasses, and suddenly seeing an ad for the exact pair just one day later. It can be off-putting and often leads to mistrust with the brand that’s trying so hard to win you over. 
• Limited Value Exchange: Consumers now recognize that their data is valuable, and expect transparency and control over how it’s used. Beyond showcasing products that may or may not be of interest, brands often fail to show their customers what value they receive.  
• Personalization Gaps: Trying to predict what your audience wants based on an incomplete picture rarely offers the level of personalization mobile-first customers now expect.

Why Zero-Party Data Collection Delivers Smarter Retargeting

In the context of marketing, Zero-party data — a term first coined by Forrester — refers to “information a customer intentionally and proactively shares with brands.” Think interests, preferences, feedback and wish lists. Because zero-party data is given freely, brands can use this information to tailor experiences to a customer’s unique needs and context, building trust and fostering deeper relationships.

Zero-party data can be collected through a range of tactics, including:

• Preference centers
• Quizzes and surveys
• Net promoter scores (NPS)
• Product ratings 
• Onboarding forms

Revolutionizing Retargeting With Zero-Party Data

Zero-party data collection provides a new approach to retargeting customers, enabling you to design relevant and personalized campaigns based on the information they’ve voluntarily provided. 

Let’s say, for example, that you manage campaigns for an online retail brand. You could use a quiz or survey to ask customers about their body shape, height and style preferences to make personalized recommendations tailored to their measurements and fashion taste.

Retargeting with zero-party data gives you a new advantage with: 

• Higher Conversions: Personalized recommendations are more likely to drive purchases. 
• More Customer Trust: Customers see that you respect their preferences and choices. 
• A Future-Proof Retargeting Strategy: Campaigns remain effective and compliant as privacy rules evolve and third-party cookies disappear. 

Building a Zero-Party Data Foundation

Capturing exactly when, where and how often customers want to hear from you — and, more importantly, about what — allows you to build experiences that speak to individual wants and needs, accelerating time to value and driving conversions. Simple, right?

The challenge is not as much the concept as it is the execution. Many brands don’t have the proper infrastructure to collect zero-party data at the right moments or effectively activate it alongside other customer insights. The key is to create moments where customers feel secure sharing their information in exchange for benefits.

Let’s explore some key considerations for building a foundation of zero-party data collection to enhance your retargeting capabilities.

Examples of Strategic Zero-Party Data Collection Points

Great experiences incentivize customers to share more data as their needs and interests change, which in turn allows brands to serve them better over time. It’s a virtuous feedback loop that delivers increasing value over time when done right. Timing and context is everything.

We’ve outlined key opportunities to capture insights where and when it benefits the customer, so you have the information needed to retarget with intention when it’s time to launch.

• Preference Centers: Give customers the opportunity to share their preferences — channels, interests and communication style — right away.

• App Onboarding Questionnaires: Find out why customers have come to your app and what they’re looking to achieve with your brand. Gathering wish lists, price ranges and preferred brands provides a trove of valuable insights to personalize future experiences.  

• Post-Purchase Surveys: Understand why they chose your brand, and what they liked or disliked to capture product satisfaction and future intentions.

• NPS Surveys: Capture customer feedback about the overall customer experience to double down on strengths and tackle weaknesses head on.

• Loyalty Program Insights: Utilize loyalty program insights to understand what resonates with customers and tailor future offers effectively.

Airship’s Branching allows brands to capture cleaner, more actionable zero-party data enrichment by customizing surveys in real-time based on customers’ previous responses. Presenting the most relevant questions based on prior interactions or stated preferences increases completion rates, yielding the exact data needed to create an experience that resonates.

Value Exchange Framework

Every ask should have a clear payoff for your customers. Show them what you have to offer through early access to products, personalized recommendations or loyalty rewards. By giving people something in return for their information, you increase the chances of repeat business. 

Data Quality Optimization

Zero-party data collection is only half of the battle — the other half is ensuring the data is accurate, relevant and timely.  

• Accurate: Ask clear and specific questions like, “Which workouts do you do most often — cardio, strength or yoga?”
• Relevant: Capture preferences, behavior and interests that you can immediately act on to personalize your messaging.
• Timely: Collect insights when they’re most useful, such as during onboarding, right after a purchase or immediately after a customer interaction. 

High-quality zero-party data makes your campaigns feel more intentional than generic. 

From Intrusive to Personalized: Examples of Retargeting Done Right

Customers who feel understood and valued are more likely to make repeat purchases and become brand advocates. Here are just a few examples of how brands across retail, travel, media and finance can leverage zero-party data to take retargeting from broad strokes to one-on-one engagement.

Hyper-Personalized Content

• Tailored Product Showcases: If a customer shares a preference for sustainable fashion and casual wear, highlight eco-friendly clothing lines.
• Lifestyle-Specific Recommendations: Share content about educational investment products for clients saving for their children.
• Feature-Focused Highlights: Offer ad-free experiences for those that have expressed frustration with ads in the past. 

Tailored Offers and Promotions

• Value-Based Discounts: If a post-purchase survey indicates a customer found a product slightly out of their preferred price range, retarget them with an exclusive loyalty discount.
• Wishlist Notifications: Notify customers who expressed interest in a specific travel destination when a seasonal package goes live.
• Tiered Rewards: Retarget loyalty program members with promotions tied to achieving the next loyalty tier.

Contextual and Timely Messaging

• Interest-Specific Content: Invite a client who wants to learn more about retirement planning with invites to a free webinar on building a retirement portfolio.
• Preferred Channel Delivery: Prioritize customers’ preferred channels shared during onboarding.
• Event-Triggered Engagement: Retarget customers who have expressed interest in a live event with early-bird access to tickets as the event date approaches.

Dynamic Campaign Adjustment

• Real-Time Messaging Updates: Automatically adjust creative, copy or offers based on survey responses or trends, eliminating the need for manual updates. 
• Scenario Planning: Create dynamic paths that respond to multiple potential customer choices. 
• Location-Aware Offers: Recommend services or products based on customers’ locations, such as a pop-up event or in-store promotion. 

Cross-Channel Synchronization

• Email + SMS: Send an email with details, followed by a timely SMS to reinforce the offer.
• In-App + Push: Align notifications and push messages with relevant content, regardless of whether customers have the app open or not.
• Web + Retargeted Ads: Coordinate web banners with email campaigns to reinforce offers without repetition.

Measuring Zero-Party Data Retargeting Success 

Once you’ve collected zero-party data, the next step is measuring how well your retargeting efforts are working. Success comes from tracking key metrics, adopting a growth experimentation mindset and refining your zero-party data retargeting strategies to keep campaigns relevant and effective.

Track Key Performance Metrics

Determining the type of performance metrics to measure with your retargeting marketing campaigns depends on how and where zero-party data is collected. Here are some of the key performance metrics to track:

• Click-Through Rates (CTR): Shows how many users engage with your ads, emails or SMS messages.
• Open Rates: Measures how often your emails or SMS messages are opened.
• Conversion Rates: Tracks the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as a purchase or sign-up.
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Reflects the long-term revenue from customers engaged through your campaigns.

Adopt a Growth Experimentation Mindset

Zero-party data retargeting strategies — including the context, value and simplicity with which asks are made — should be continually optimized. Experiment with various tactics to determine which approaches are most effective in engaging your audience and capturing the desired insights. A/B testing questions, incentives and design can help you optimize participation.

You can also experiment with the ways in which you apply zero-party data to your strategies. Test various personalization tactics (e.g., different types of offers, messaging styles or communication channels) to determine which approaches are most effective for different customer segments.

Future-Proof Your Zero-Party Retargeting Strategy

Customers’ needs are constantly changing, and so should your zero-party retargeting strategy. Keep campaigns relevant by regularly analyzing results, testing new personalization approaches and exploring new tools to gather insights. 

A plan that adapts to changing preferences and trends ensures your retargeting efforts continue to engage customers effectively and future-proof your zero-party data retargeting strategy. 

How Ulta Doubled Conversion Rates With Hyperpersonalized Retargeting 

Exploration is an important part of the beauty journey, so converting customers upon first arrival isn’t always a given. The team turned to Airship to create a new framework for capturing customer insights from the moment people start browsing, allowing them to follow up with hyperpersonalized content that inspires a purchase. The goal? Move more customers from exploration to conversion.

The Ulta team quickly constructed a survey experience using Scenes, inviting visitors to select their eye color to discover the right mascara color for them. Based on which button was tapped, the visitor was then redirected to a custom landing page offering unique recommendations. This information was appended to customer profiles using tags for future targeting efforts.

Six and a half weeks after survey completion, Ulta Beauty sent a retargeting message to customers via its in-app Message Center and push notifications, encouraging them to “complete the look” with featured products that would complement their eye color.

The result? 2.8X higher purchase conversion rates among those exposed to the in-app Scene compared to those not exposed. Read the full success story here.

Rethinking Your Retargeting Strategy? We Can Help

If you’re struggling to see the results you want from your retargeting efforts, it might be time to make a change. Airship’s Strategic Services team can help you identify opportunities to collect, activate and apply zero-party data in your personalization strategy. We can help make every experience count toward your conversion and loyalty targets. Schedule a demo today to learn more. 

Key Takeaways

• Zero-party data collection is intentional. Customers voluntarily share preferences, interests and feedback, giving you a direct view of their needs. 
• Personalization matters. Tailoring content, offers and messaging based on zero-party data improves conversion and customer satisfaction.
• Collect insights at the right moments. Onboarding surveys, preference centers, post-purchase feedback and NPS surveys capture actionable data when it’s most useful.
• Experiment and optimize continuously. Test questions, messaging, incentives and personalization tactics to find what resonates with different segments.
• Keep campaigns adaptable. Regularly review metrics, refine strategies and explore new tools to future-proof your retargeting efforts.