What Is Zero-party data?

An intentional statement from a person

Forrester uses zero-party data for information people intentionally share about preferences, intentions or circumstances. Examples include a stated product preference or a response explaining what someone wants help with. This differs from inferring a preference from browsing or click behavior. The distinction concerns how the information was supplied, rather than whether a system stored it in a particular database or marked it as high intent.

Zero-party and first-party terminology can overlap in practical workflows. A preference shared directly with a business can also be part of that business's direct relationship data. Avoid treating the labels as incompatible database types or as a substitute for recording the actual question and answer. The original interaction is more informative than a broad category when someone later reviews what the person meant.

Use the answer in its context

Suppose a prospect says they are researching an integration for next quarter. Preserve the wording, date and question that prompted it. That is different from an approved budget, a confirmed buying date or a request to enter every related campaign. An answer can also change as circumstances change, so an explicit statement should not remain permanently authoritative without attention to its age and purpose.

Keep declared and inferred fields separate

A scoring model may infer urgency from the response, but the inference should not overwrite the original statement. Retain both with their distinct meanings. The same principle applies when an enrichment service translates an answer into a standardized category: the derived label should stay traceable to the information the person actually supplied.

Voluntary sharing is not blanket permission for unrelated outreach or unrestricted future use. Preserve preferences and applicable restrictions through imports and handoffs. The operational value of intentional information comes from respecting its meaning and context, rather than stretching a direct answer into a stronger commercial or permission claim than the person made.