Glossary

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a centralized software solution that collects, unifies, and activates customer data from multiple sources—including websites, mobile apps, offline interactions, and IoT devices—in real-time.

First-party data is information collected directly from your customers through interactions on your website, app, or other owned channels. Because it comes straight from your audience, it’s both highly reliable and aligned with privacy best practices.

A Tag Management System (TMS) is a platform that simplifies the deployment and management of marketing and analytics tags on your website without requiring constant code updates. It helps businesses improve website performance, ensure data accuracy, and maintain compliance by centralizing tag control in a single interface.

Third-party cookies are small pieces of data stored in a user's browser by a domain other than the one they are actively visiting. Typically used for cross-site tracking, retargeting, and ad personalization, these cookies are set by third-party vendors like ad networks or analytics providers embedded on the site. From Tealium’s perspective, third-party cookies represent an outdated method of tracking customer behavior across websites. With growing privacy regulations and browser restrictions (like Safari's ITP and Chrome's deprecation plans), Tealium advocates for a first-party data strategy—leveraging consented, customer-provided data via secure and privacy-compliant methods. By moving away from reliance on third-party cookies, brands can build more trustworthy, transparent, and sustainable customer experiences.