Pharmaceutical Market Europe • March 2025 • 31
THOUGHT LEADER
From zero to hero: is zero-party data your new best friend for omnichannel HCP engagement?
By Rupert Watts
As Google phases out third-party cookies and tracking, new ways of targeting healthcare professional (HCP) customers with the right content in the right channel at the right point in their journey are becoming critical.
Combining first-party data with zero-party data could be a big part of the solution.
What is zero-party data?
Unlike first-party data, which is passively collected through cookie-based behaviours such as website clicks, zero-party data is directly and voluntarily obtained from a customer. It can be collected in multiple ways, such as:
With the advent of tools like Hotjar and UserPilot, both incorporating AI into their customer data offerings, it is now relatively easy to pool first- and zero-party data, combining customer experience (CX), net promoter scores (NPS) and multi-branch surveys.
So how can this approach optimise your omnichannel engagement with HCPs?
For omnichannel to drive measurable behaviour change, evaluating how each interaction influences customer beliefs, adoption and action is vital. The most reliable method is direct zero-party data collection. If no change occurs, follow-up questions should seek to identify why – was it the content, the delivery or the timing?
Timing and context are critical, especially for time-poor HCPs in clinical settings. During a consultation for instance, they need fast, frictionless access to information, making traditional KPIs like dwell time or page views potentially misleading; low values might indicate efficient site architecture rather than disengagement. More insightful metrics might include post-visit satisfaction surveys or automated follow-up micro-surveys.
For real-time queries, HCPs need seamless interactions, such as:
Conversely, HCPs in non-clinical settings – when travelling, commuting or during downtime (walking the dog, cooking at home) – engage differently. They may spend more time with relevant content if delivered appropriately and based on their preferences, such as:
In this scenario, first-party data will go some of the way to evaluating the success of the interaction, but it will still lack the qualitative customer insight of zero-party feedback, which should be factored in.
Surveys, however, should not be the go-to solution; there has been a lot of noise surrounding ‘survey fatigue’ across the industry. Interactions need to be simple, easy to contribute to, short and intuitive, so insights are shared without creating a new barrier to engagement. Here are four other ways of gathering customer intent, beliefs and behaviours:
At Kanga Health our USP is getting close to your customer needs and preferences along their journey. Gathering zero-party data is just one of the many ways we are transforming the customer experience strategy for our clients and their customers. Alongside our strategic services we also help to design and execute the sought-after tools and assets your customers need at pivotal engagement points from: HCP portals and on-site widgets; new product content; training assets and more.
Find out more at Kanga Health, or get in touch to discuss your specific challenges.
Rupert Watts is a Senior Strategist at Kanga Health
Pharmaceutical Market Europe (PME)
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