Have you ever received a personalised coupon or app notification that seemed eerily well-timed – perhaps even from a brand you hadn’t interacted with directly? Maybe you got it after joining a loyalty program, using a co-branded credit card, or purchasing from a connected retailer. These moments aren’t coincidences, they’re strategic outcomes of brand partnerships built on data.
Today, companies are forming cross-industry partnerships that offer more than just convenience or perks for their users. They unlock deeper behavioural insights. These collaborations span retail, technology, media and logistics, enabling personalisation at scale through compliant, consent-based data exchange. For example, Walmart and Expedia partnered to offer travel perks as part of their Walmart+ membership, combining retail and travel services while opening the door for deeper understanding of customer behaviour across retail and travel platforms.
The blurred lines of modern subscriptions
These partnerships leverage first- and second-party data to build more holistic customer profiles. First-party data refers to information a company collects directly from its customers, through websites, apps, services or in-person interactions. Second-party data is another organisation’s first-party data, shared with explicit consumer consent and under agreed-upon terms. When used together responsibly, they empower companies to deliver smarter targeting, improved user experiences and stronger loyalty across sectors.
In a digital economy where personalisation drives engagement, relevance and revenue, these alliances are quickly becoming a competitive advantage. The ability to personalise at scale – while respecting privacy – is no longer a differentiator. It’s becoming the price of entry.
Let’s explore how cross-industry partnerships are reshaping data strategies, why personalisation is no longer optional, and what it takes to deliver the kind of relevant, compliant and compelling experiences that today’s consumers demand.
The growing importance of consumer data
As highlighted in Endava’s 2025 report Modernisation in Motion: How Technology is Shaping the Future of Media, consumer preferences are evolving rapidly, reshaping how audiences engage with content and redefining what they expect from brands. Personalisation and data-driven insights have moved from being optional enhancements to becoming foundational pillars of modern marketing.
Consumers now expect relevance not just in what brands offer, but in how, when and why they offer it. With an overwhelming amount of content and products vying for attention, generic messaging no longer resonates.
A global survey by Boston Consulting Group reinforces this shift: 80% of consumers say they’re comfortable with personalised experiences, and most now expect them, citing value, enjoyment and convenience as key benefits. But personalisation today goes far beyond using someone’s name in an email. Consumers expect brands to understand their preferences, anticipate their needs, and deliver meaningful, tailored experiences, whether through well-timed offers, relevant recommendations or content that fits seamlessly into their routines and interests.
However, personalisation introduces challenges, particularly concerning data privacy and regulatory compliance. Regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require explicit consent and robust data protection. In the US, companies operate under a patchwork of state and federal privacy laws, making compliance complex for companies operating globally. Meanwhile, consumer trust remains fragile, with many still uneasy about how their data is collected and used.
Faced with this tension, companies must strike a delicate balance: crafting effective, data-driven strategies without creating experiences that feel invasive or unsettling. As expectations rise and regulations tighten, delivering meaningful personalisation has become more complex. Yet, organisations that navigate this landscape thoughtfully are discovering new opportunities to engage audiences, optimise campaigns and unlock revenue, proving that relevance, when done right, is a powerful differentiator.
Personalisation, privacy and the power of partnerships
Delivering relevant and personalised experiences at scale is complex and difficult for companies to execute effectively on their own. The digital landscape is undergoing a major shift: third-party cookies are being phased out in response to growing privacy concerns, stricter regulations like GDPR, and tightening restrictions from major browsers including Chrome, Safari and Firefox. As a result, companies are refocusing their strategies around first-party data – information collected directly through their own websites, apps and services – which offers a more transparent, trustworthy and regulation-friendly foundation for personalisation.
However, first-party data alone rarely provides the full picture of consumer behaviour that today’s personalisation strategies require. To meet the increasingly high expectations of relevance and customisation, many companies are looking beyond their own ecosystems and forming cross-industry partnerships. These collaborations provide access to second-party data – information originally collected by a trusted partner with the consumer’s consent and shared under agreed-upon terms.
In these arrangements, retailers and brands securely exchange consumer insights, such as purchase behaviour, loyalty activity and in-store engagement, to improve targeting, optimise assortments and create more meaningful, omnichannel experiences. When handled responsibly, second-party data enables organisations to close critical gaps in consumer understanding, deepen behavioural insights and deliver personalised experiences with greater nuance and precision.
These partnerships help brands build a more context-rich, multidimensional view of their customers, powering the timely offers, relevant recommendations and seamlessly integrated content that today’s consumers not only expect but demand. Importantly, they support compliance with privacy regulations and help maintain consumer trust.
By tapping into behavioural signals from adjacent sectors – whether it’s grocery shopping, content streaming or mobile usage – brands can build stronger customer profiles, refine their targeting strategies and deliver experiences that feel intuitive and personal. In a marketplace where relevance, loyalty and insight are tightly intertwined, cross-industry collaborations are emerging as one of the most effective ways to meet rising expectations and future-proof personalisation strategies.
Looking ahead: the future of consumer engagement
Big data and predictive analytics are at the core of today’s hyper-targeted advertising strategies. With clean, unified datasets, companies can measure campaign effectiveness in real time, anticipate consumer behaviours and refine messaging dynamically. Technologies like AI, AR and cloud platforms are not only reshaping media, they are making real-time, hyper-personalised content the new standard.
The era of standalone data strategies is over. The next three-to-five years will be defined by real-time, cross-platform personalisation, powered by the ability to integrate data across industries and personalise content at scale. Cloud adoption and API-driven architectures are enabling organisations to move faster on insights, delivering seamless, highly targeted experiences across every channel.
To succeed in this evolving landscape, brands must invest in the right technologies, unify fragmented data ecosystems and embrace strategic alliances that enhance their understanding of consumer behaviour. Cross-industry partnerships are more than marketing tactics, they’re long-term strategies for staying relevant, competitive and future-ready.
Positioning your brand for what’s next
For organisations unsure whether they have the technology, infrastructure or data maturity needed to support these efforts, we offer current state assessments to help identify gaps, uncover opportunities and define clear, actionable next steps.
Now is the time to evaluate your readiness and position your brand for what’s next. Explore our partner pages or get in touch.