Main differences between CDP and CRM

Customer data sits at the heart of any effective marketing strategy. It plays a critical role in:

The question is how to collect, store, analyse and activate that data effectively.

👉 This article summarises the similarities and, above all, the differences between CRMs and CDPs. Discover how they complement each other and choose the right tool for your needs. 🔍

CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is software designed to optimise interactions with customers and prospects at every stage of their relationship with the business. It centralises a range of information, including:

Its main benefits include:

Using a CRM improves the quality of commercial relationships and typically helps centralise and automate communications. It is particularly useful for sales, marketing and customer service teams.

A CDP, or Customer Data Platform, is a solution that aggregates, cleans and harmonises customer data from multiple sources (including CRMs) into a unified database. It enables the creation of detailed customer profiles with a 360° view.

It turns raw data into a coherent picture of your audience across all channels. These profiles are then made available to the different teams that may need them (sales, marketing, support, etc.).

CDPs are used to collect, clean, ensure compliance for, unify and activate data within an organisation.

Download our dedicated guide to learn more.

👇

One of the key differences between a CRM and a CDP lies in the types of data each handles and how that data is managed.

A CRM focuses on managing operational data, meaning information related to customer and prospect interactions, transactions and activities with the business. This structured, identified data makes it possible to track the customer journey from first contact through to retention.

Here are some examples of data managed by a CRM:

However, this operational data does not provide a complete understanding of customer behaviours, needs and preferences. It is often limited to a specific channel or department and does not capture the full scope of customer interactions with the brand.

By contrast, a CDP handles more diverse, rich, and comprehensive data that go beyond operational data alone. It brings together zero- and first-party data (collected directly from customers), as well as second- and third-party data (sourced from partners or external providers).

In addition, a CDP handles anonymous data alongside personally identifiable information such as names, email addresses or phone numbers. Examples of data stored in a CDP include:

This data is standardised and unified to create a single, continuously updated customer record. This comprehensive profile provides a 360° view of the customer, enabling the personalisation of offers, messages and experiences based on their specific needs and expectations.

Compatibility with the existing technology environment is a key factor to consider. This involves assessing how well each system can connect with the other tools used across the organisation.

A CRM makes it easier to integrate with sales and customer service tools, such as solutions for managing quotes, contracts, invoices and support tickets. It also connects with marketing solutions, including email marketing tools, landing page builders and social media management platforms.

However, a CRM has limitations when it comes to integrating data from diverse and complex sources, such as behavioural, transactional, offline or product data. Likewise, a CRM does not handle anonymous or unidentified data, such as data generated by cookies, pixels or device identifiers.

A CDP covers both online and offline interactions, whether identified or anonymous, structured or unstructured. It is compatible with a wide range of systems, including CRMs, DMPs (Data Management Platforms), CEPs (Customer Engagement Platforms), as well as analytics, personalisation and recommendation tools.

Thanks to these integrations, a CDP can collect, unify and activate customer data at scale, delivering a consistent and customised experience across all communication channels.

Another key difference between the two types of platforms is how quickly users can access and update data.

A CDP stands out for its ability to provide real-time access to data and real-time updates. This ensures customer information is always up to date and relevant. The CDP pulls data from multiple sources, unifies it and stores it in a central database that updates automatically. As a result, customer profiles remain continuously refreshed, reflecting their latest interactions, transactions and behaviours.

In addition, a CDP makes it easier to access and use data across different tools without requiring deep technical expertise. Users can segment audiences, personalise content, launch marketing campaigns and more.

They can also export this data to other systems, such as analytics and personalisation tools, to further enhance the customer experience.

A CRM, by contrast, comes with certain limitations around data access and updates, which can impact the quality and relevance of customer information.

Using data effectively in a CRM requires advanced technical skills, which limits how easily business teams can make use of it. Building audience segments or running marketing campaigns typically depends on IT and data teams, a process that can be complex and time-consuming.

Implementing a CRM and a CDP shapes a company’s marketing strategy. The aim is to improve the customer experience and personalise marketing campaigns.

A CRM is a powerful tool for improving the customer experience by making interactions more efficient and personalised at every stage of the journey. It helps you:

⚠️ However, a CRM alone is not enough to deliver a consistent, personalised experience across all channels and touchpoints, as it does not incorporate data from other sources. This may include online activity, transactions, offline interactions or product information. It also does not enable you to activate your data in third-party tools.

A CDP, by contrast, excels at customisation and improving the precision of marketing campaigns. The range of use cases enabled by a CDP is broad, but in practice it allows you to:

A Customer Data Platform therefore makes it easier to implement a personalised, precise marketing strategy. It enables consistent, tailored customer experiences across all channels and touchpoints by leveraging data from a wide range of sources.

Choosing between a CRM and a CDP depends on a range of factors, including your objectives, budget, industry and company size. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, a few key considerations can help guide your decision.

It is also worth noting that a company can absolutely use both a CRM and a CDP. In fact, this is often recommended to fully leverage the strengths of each tool!

Choose a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) if your goal is to:

A CRM is therefore essential for improving customer relationships, building loyalty and driving revenue. It is particularly well suited to companies with complex sales processes or large-scale customer service operations.

A CDP (Customer Data Platform) is the right choice if you want to:

Well suited to organisations looking to make the most of their customer data, a CDP helps improve audience understanding, customer engagement (often alongside a CEP) and marketing campaign optimisation.

It is particularly relevant for businesses with simpler sales models focused on personalisation, as well as organisations managing multiple data sources.

While a CRM focuses on managing relationships and interactions with existing customers, a CDP specialises in centralising customer data from multiple sources to deliver a single, comprehensive view of each customer.

CDPs therefore enable more advanced marketing personalisation thanks to their ability to integrate and analyse large volumes of data. By contrast, CRMs excel at managing sales, support and customer service operations.

In a data-driven ecosystem, the complementarity between CDPs and CRMs helps deliver an optimised customer experience and supports effective marketing strategies. The future belongs to organisations that can successfully integrate both tools to make the most of the data they have at their disposal.

If you're interested in our Composable CDP approach, do not hesitate to contact us!