Perfect Data May Not Exist

Understanding the Challenge

In today's data-driven landscape, consumer brands are constantly seeking ways to gain a deeper understanding of their customers. However, the path to achieving a unified view of the customer is often littered with obstacles, primarily due to the messiness and imperfections in data sources. Amperity, a leading customer data platform (CDP), has been tackling this challenge head-on since its founding in 2016. With an impressive list of 400+ brands like Alaska Airlines, Haymarket Media Group, JB Hi-Fi, Loblaw, Seattle Sounders, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Amperity has proven its ability to help brands overcome the customer data conundrum.

CTO and co-founder Derek Slager's journey with Amperity began in 2016, driven by a simple yet profound insight: "Everybody wanted a unified view of their customer, but nobody had it. And that's only a slight exaggeration," he shared. “The challenge was not just in recognizing the problem but in finding a solution that had eluded so many others. We didn't start the company with a solution to the problem, but we knew what problem we needed to solve," Slager explains. 

This approach set Amperity apart from the beginning, focusing on pragmatic solutions to understanding and taking control of data, rather than chasing perfection.

Embracing Imperfection 

Amperity's approach to solving the customer data problem is grounded in the realization that striving for perfect data is an unrealistic and counterproductive goal. "The world's messy, and sometimes ‘good enough’ 'is all you need to get real value,” Slager observed. Instead, the company focuses on ingesting and linking data from multiple sources, even if it's not entirely clean. By accepting that data will never be perfect, Amperity has enabled its clients to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their customers, ultimately helping them make more informed decisions for their businesses.

"We knew the data complexity problem needed to be solved—the market signals made that obvious. The real question for us wasn’t whether solving it would be helpful, but whether it was even possible to solve," Slager noted, emphasizing the company's pragmatic approach to tackling the customer data challenge.  "Aiming for perfect data isn't necessary or practical—what's important is making the best use of the data available to drive meaningful insights and business outcomes."

Slager also pointed out that while there may be diminishing returns to adding more data at some point, Amperity hasn't reached that limit yet. In fact, even historical data can provide valuable insights that contribute to a more robust understanding of the customer.

The Power of AI in Uncovering Hidden Connections

One of the key factors that sets Amperity apart from other CDPs is its use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to identify connections and correlations that traditional rules-based systems might overlook. These advanced technologies allow Amperity to extract valuable insights from incomplete or imperfect datasets, showing that perfect data isn’t required. By leveraging AI, Amperity helps businesses uncover hidden insights and make more informed decisions using the data they already have.

"What we found is that we've evolved the algorithms because we have a solid data foundation. So we look for correlations between things we know about that customer outside of the specifics of the transaction, and we run our models over that to fill in the blanks," Slager explained, highlighting the company's AI-driven approach to customer data unification.

The results of this approach speak for themselves. "Since the launch of AI Assistant, query usage has increased by 98%, saving users an average of seven to eight hours a week," Slager revealed, underscoring the tangible benefits that Amperity's AI-powered solutions deliver to its customers.

Navigating the Evolving Data Landscape

As Amperity continues to grow and evolve, the company remains focused on adapting to the ever-changing needs of its customers. With the rising prominence of data lakehouses and real-time data, Amperity is dedicated to simplifying and accelerating the process of leveraging customer data from these environments.

Slager also emphasized the importance of staying attuned to the regulatory landscape surrounding consumer data privacy. While current regulations like GDPR and CCPA are well-intentioned, he believes that a more unified federal standard in the U.S. is necessary to reduce complexity for businesses while still protecting consumer rights. Additionally, Slager stressed the crucial role that technology companies play in empowering users with privacy controls.

Looking Ahead 

As Amperity charts its course for the next five years and beyond, Slager feels optimistic about the company's future. "On a five-year scale, yeah, that's just long enough for us collectively as a market to decide if our efforts are truly making an impact. ampClearly, people care about solving the core data problem. We know that that comes up in every conversation. That was true in 2016. That's true today," he stated, underscoring the enduring importance of customer data unification.

With a robust value proposition and an unwavering commitment to helping brands maximize the value of their customer data, Amperity is well-positioned to lead the charge in the CDP space for years to come. As more companies recognize the limitations and inefficiencies of attempting to build complex customer data unification systems in-house, Amperity stands ready to be the partner of choice, empowering brands to unify their customer data and unlock its full potential.