Cardlytics: Turning Purchase Data into Measurable Marketing Impact with Card-Linked Marketing
Marketers today face a persistent blind spot: it is difficult to know where customers are shopping, how they split their spending across competitors, and what truly drives incremental growth. Traditional digital advertising often delivers impressions but struggles to prove whether it influenced a consumer’s decision to purchase. At the same time, consumers are more skeptical than ever about generic ads, gravitating instead toward brands that offer real value at the right moment. For advertisers, this gap between consumer behavior and measurable outcomes presents both a challenge and a massive opportunity. The brands that can connect to actual buying habits, rather than assumed intent, have a chance to win market share, grow loyalty, and capture new customers.
Cardlytics
Cardlytics is a Card-Linked Marketing (CLM) platform that operates at the intersection of financial data and marketing outcomes. Since 2008, the company has built the most extensive financial media network powered by card-linked offers, partnering with leading banks and publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its platform allows brands to connect with consumers directly within the digital banking channels they already trust.
By leveraging first-party (1P) transaction data, Cardlytics provides advertisers with actionable insights into consumer spending and enables them to deliver personalized cashback rewards that drive measurable incremental sales.
How Cardlytics works
Cardlytics works by analyzing aggregated, anonymized purchase data from its banking and publisher partners. This data reveals where, when, and how customers are spending, both online and in-store. Using these insights, brands can target consumers with relevant offers embedded seamlessly into their banking apps.
Customers see these offers as valuable cashback rewards, redeem them simply by using their linked debit or credit cards, and complete purchases without friction. For advertisers, the results are measurable: campaigns are validated through test vs. control methodology and independently verified by third-party firms like Nielsen. The outcome is a transparent link between marketing spend and actual sales lift.
Key features of Cardlytics
- Bank-integrated offers: Deliver card-linked cashback rewards through the digital channels of trusted financial institutions, reaching consumers where they actively manage money.
- Competitive insights: Understand not only what your customers spend with you, but also where they shop when they’re not shopping with you.
- First-party purchase data: Access anonymized transaction data from millions of consumers to identify where you are gaining or losing market share.
- Fraud-free environment: Operate in a brand-safe space where only real cardholders can participate—bots don’t have bank accounts.
- Incrementality testing: Use rigorous test vs. control methodology with independent verification to prove incremental sales.
- Omnichannel reporting: Measure campaign impact across both online and in-store purchases, tying spend directly to ROI and ROAS.
- Personalized rewards: Incentivize action with meaningful cashback offers tailored to consumer spending behaviors.
Restaurants using Cardlytics have seen measurable increases in traffic and sales. Subscription services have acquired new customers more efficiently, backed by insights that guide future campaigns. Streaming platforms have boosted user retention and engagement among Cardlytics audiences. Even global hotel chains and retailers highlight Cardlytics’ unique ability to prove incremental ROI while protecting brand value. Across industries, the platform has consistently demonstrated its ability to drive growth.
Cardlytics offers a proven way to connect with high-value consumers, gain deeper insights into real spending behaviors, and deliver measurable growth. Whether your goal is to drive incremental sales, acquire new customers, or strengthen loyalty, Cardlytics provides the platform, the data, and the results.
Ready to see how Cardlytics can help your brand grow?
Get Started With Cardlytics Today!
Related Martech Zone Content
