The CDP Question: When You Actually Need One

Riyan Kapoor 3 min readJune 10, 2024

You don't need a CDP if

Single source of customer data, under 100k contacts, minimal cross-channel complexity. A well-run CRM is enough.

Multiple product lines, offline + online customer journeys, real-time personalization requirements, 500k+ contacts.

Segment (straightforward), RudderStack (developer-friendly), Tealium (enterprise). Match the complexity of your stack.

Zapier is perfect until it isn't. The signals it's time to move to a more capable platform.

Not every team needs BigQuery. For those that do, what to load first and what to leave for later.

Three platforms, three different strengths. The real criteria for choosing.

Our team ships marketing platforms programs every week. Book a free consult — we'll tell you what would move the needle for your brand.