Contents
Why First-Party Payments Data Is Becoming a Performance Powerhouse (And How Pokerbet Proved It)
Performance marketers all want the same thing:
The right audience, at the right moment, with the highest likelihood to convert.
For years, we’ve relied on platforms to tell us who those people are.
But interest-based targeting is losing accuracy, behavioural signals are fragmented, and privacy changes are pushing marketers to rethink their entire approach.
The brands winning today are the ones using real behaviour, not assumptions, and the Pokerbet case study is a standout example of how powerful that shift can be.
The Challenge: Finding Precision in a Noisy Environment
Pokerbet needed to reach people with a genuine interest in online betting, not casual scrollers, not broad interest groups, and definitely not “people who like sports memes.”
They wanted to:
- Increase conversions
- Spend more efficiently
- Maximise ROI
- Understand which audiences actually drive performance
The problem? Typical digital audience signals weren’t getting them there.
The solution came from a completely different angle.
The Breakthrough: First-Party Payments Data via Zapper + Flow
Instead of relying on platform proxies, Pokerbet activated ZapAds…Zapper’s first-party payments data through Flow – giving them access to real shoppers with real transactional behaviour that aligned to the online betting category.
This meant they could reach people who weren’t just browsing, but spending.
People with a proven pattern of transacting in relevant categories. People with actual intent.
And that’s where the magic happened.
The Results: A Clear Win for Behaviour Over Assumptions
Pokerbet’s campaign delivered:
- 188,000+ verified Zapper users reached
- 2.67 million impressions served
- 156% ROI
No guesswork.
No audience overlap issues.
Just real behaviour → real performance.
When you target based on how people actually spend, campaigns get sharper, budgets stretch further, and ROAS climbs.
Why This Matters for Performance Marketers Right Now
The shift toward first-party data isn’t new but its importance has accelerated for three big reasons:
01
Platforms are losing behavioural clarityInterest groups are vague, demographics are generic and algorithms can misread intent.
But first-party data (like Zapper’s payments data) is clear, verified and actionable.
02
AI ranking systems favour sources with real behavioural authorityAI Overviews and LLM search favour strong, verified data.
03
High-intent audiences are becoming the new performance battlegroundAs brands compete for shrinking attention, the competitive edge lies in who you target, not only what your ad looks like.
Want help planning your festive or January targeting?
Speak to our team – we’ll help you build data-driven audience stacks that actually convert.
Explore Flow’s Audience Marketplace to book a demoFrequently asked questions
How is this relevant to the future of commerce media?
Commerce media is built on real buying signals. Payments data gives advertisers a direct line to genuine purchase intent, making it one of the strongest sources of commerce-media audiences available today. Cases like Pokerbet show how powerful this is in practice.
How does first-party data improve campaign performance?
First-party data reflects real behaviour – not interests or demographics.
This increases:
- Relevance
- Engagement
- Conversion rates
- ROAS
- Efficiency in high-cost media periods
Why is first-party data better than interest-based targeting?
Interest targeting guesses. First-party data shows real intent, making it far more accurate and effective.
What role does Flow play in activating Zapper’s first-party data?
Flow takes Zapper’s first-party payments data and turns it into privacy-safe, media-ready audience segments. Brands and Zapper merchants can then activate these high-intent audiences across major platforms like Meta, Google, TikTok and programmatic channels, without having to manage raw data themselves.
Is payments data privacy-safe?
Yes. Zapper’s payments data is fully consented and anonymised. Flow activates it through secure, compliant processes so advertisers use behavioural insights without accessing any personal, identifiable information. All data is POPIA- and GDPR-compliant.
Can other industries benefit from payments data audiences?
Absolutely. Payments data is powerful for any category where intent is tied to real-world spending… retail, food & beverage, alcohol, wellness, beauty, fintech, mobility, entertainment, and more. Any brand that wants to reach high-value, purchase-ready customers can benefit.
Author: Caitlin Perry
Head of Marketing at Flow
