A persistent, household-level identifier used to group individuals and devices within the same physical residence. Developed by Experian, the LUID enables marketers to link disparate data points—such as devices, browsing behavior, offline transactions, and media exposure—back to a single living unit. This allows for more accurate targeting, measurement, and identity resolution without relying on personally identifiable information (PII) or third-party cookies.
Unlike individual-level identifiers like mobile ad IDs or hashed emails, a LUID represents the shared context of a household. This includes shared devices, common purchase patterns, and cohabitating users who often influence joint decisions—such as grocery shopping, travel planning, or home improvement. Because of its address-based foundation, the LUID is stable over time and resilient to the fragmentation of the digital ecosystem.
LUIDs are a core component of Experian’s identity graph and are frequently used in data onboarding, clean room collaborations, connected TV (CTV) targeting, and cross-channel attribution. For example, when a brand uploads a customer list with names and addresses, Experian can map those records to a LUID, allowing advertisers to activate campaigns across devices tied to that household. This results in improved match rates and more unified customer experiences across platforms.
In a privacy-conscious marketing environment, the LUID offers a compliant alternative to traditional identifiers. It facilitates addressable marketing while reducing dependency on cookie-based tracking or sensitive personal identifiers. By leveraging the LUID, marketers gain a durable way to maintain addressability, optimize audience targeting, and measure performance across both digital and offline touchpoints.
Key Benefits of LUIDs
- Persistent, household-level identifier that remains stable over time
- Links digital and offline behaviors to a single living unit
- Enables cross-device and cross-channel marketing consistency
- Improves data match rates for audience onboarding and activation
- Functions in privacy-safe environments such as data clean rooms
- Supports attribution, segmentation, and campaign optimization
Use Cases of LUID
- Connected TV and addressable TV targeting
- Retail media audience development
- Cross-platform ad measurement and attribution
- CRM enrichment and household-level segmentation
- Privacy-compliant data collaboration in clean rooms
As marketers transition away from third-party cookies and adopt first-party data strategies, the LUID offers a future-proof foundation for understanding and engaging consumers at the household level.
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