The way companies manage customer data is evolving – and quickly. In an era where personalization, privacy and real-time decision making are no longer optional, companies need a smarter approach to data. That is why Twilio presents the 2025 edition of the Customer Data Platform report, your most recent in-depth study on how companies are leveraging customer data platforms (CDPs) to unlock new opportunities
The report for this year, based on insights from thousands of Twilio customers, reveals the main trends shaping the future of customer engagement. From the rise of technology systems combined with the increasing synergy between data warehouses and CDPs, the discoveries make one thing clear: companies that effectively leverage their data will define the next era of customer experience
"From the simplest to the most complex interactions", whether in the search for engagement, personalization, scalability or better use of technology, we always have the same starting point, where everything originates: the data. Basically, the entire action tree, strategies and technologies arise from this single seed, what alerts us to quality, quantity and refinement of this data, says Vivian Jones, LATAM vice president of Twilio
Below are four of the most important insights from this year’s report:
- Interoperability is the key to the success of MarTech - Companies are abandoning rigid and monolithic platforms in favor of combinable technology systems– integrated ecosystems where the best-in-class tools work together seamlessly. This flexibility promotes innovation and allows companies to quickly adapt to new needs
- Data Warehouses and CDPs are better together – Last year, Twilio's customers have synchronized nearly 10 trillion rows of data with cloud data warehouses, like Snowflake and BigQuery. Although warehouses provide scalable data storage, your true power is unleashed when integrated into a CDP, allowing companies to combine historical data with real-time insights for more personalized customer experiences
- Analytics remains a powerhouse – Analytical tools are the most connected category on the Twilio platform, reflecting its critical role in understanding customer behavior. Companies that integrate analytics with a CDP are making smarter, real-time decisions that drive deeper engagement
- The growth of AIpredictive – Last year, Twilio launched Predictive Traits, allowing companies to anticipate customer behavior using machine learning. The adoption of this resource increased by 57% this year, signaling a shift of predictive AI from a cutting-edge advantage to an essential driver for smarter and more personalized customer engagement
Top Customer Data Destinations of 2025
The report also explores which tools companies are prioritizing in their customer data strategies. The most connected categories on the Twilio platform include
- Analytics (Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel – 89%
- Data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery – 52%
- Advertising (Meta Ads, LinkedIn, Google Ads – 50%
- Raw data storage (Amazon S3) – 40%
- Email marketing (Customer.I, Mailchimp – 35%
- Heatmaps and session recording (Hotjar, FullStory – 33%
- Customer success platforms (Zendesk, Gainsight – 25%
- CRM Systems (Intercom, HubSpot, Salesforce – 14%
These categories highlight how companies are orchestrating customer data across various platforms to create continuous and data-driven experiences
Why is this important?
The explosion of MarTech tools over the last decade has created a paradox: although there is a push towards consolidation, the reality is that companies are using more tools than ever to meet specific and critical needs. Integration has become the connective tissue that keeps these technologies together, allowing companies to leverage specialized tools while maintaining a continuous flow of data
MarTech is a vast and growing industry, with thousands of participants, and some level of consolidation is always in the air. Now, a recent series of mergers and acquisitions has kept everyone on alert. A Uniphore acquired ActionIQ, a Contentstack adquiriu a LyticsandRokt has announced its merger with mParticle – all the deals were announced with weeks in between, all focused on acquiring a customer data platform
These measures signal a growing recognition that customer data is at the heart of modern marketing technology. But consolidation alone does not solve the complexity that companies face in managing their technology systems
What these recent acquisitions really did was just create new ad-hoc solutions, linking the CDP to a specific application or channel, what is limiting by definition.
Instead, a customer data platform must be part of an open architecture, perfectly integrating communication channels, data sources and AI capabilities, with the flexibility to add customized solutions. The report makes it clear that this is how companies create unified and integrated customer experiences at every touchpoint
The recentTwilio joins the MACH Alliancehighlights its commitment to enabling combinable architectures, open and prepared for the future. The MACH structure (microservices, API-first, Cloud-native and Headless represent the best-in-class standard for building modular technology systems. Upon joining the alliance, Twilio signals its alignment with the principles of flexibility and interoperability – values that are critical as companies seek to adapt to the evolving landscape of customer data
However, not all integrations are created equal. Many large software packages promise interoperability, but fall short due to fragmented data models and limited documentation, making companies rely on expensive custom integrations. On the other hand, the Twilio platform was designed with openness at its core, ensuring that companies can connect tools seamlessly and unlock the full potential of their data
To know more, read the full reporthere.
