Data brokers in the UK operate behind the scenes of many marketing, sales and analytics operations. Their role is to collect, process and supply structured data that helps businesses make better decisions — from identifying new customers to reducing risk.
While not always visible, data brokers across the UK are an essential part of the commercial data ecosystem. This blog outlines what they do, how they operate in the UK, and what businesses should know before using brokered data.
Defining a data broker
In practical terms, a data broker sources information from multiple public and commercial sources, then cleans, segments and packages that data for commercial use.
In the UK, this might include:
- Public data from Companies House or the electoral roll
- Commercially shared data from surveys, forms, or online interactions
- Partnerships with third-party providers that share opted-in or permissioned data
The final product is usually structured data about individuals or businesses — used by organisations to support marketing, sales, customer insight or fraud prevention.
Why organisations work with data brokers
Most businesses have incomplete or outdated data in their systems. Brokers help fill those gaps — providing access to accurate, permissioned datasets that would otherwise be time-consuming or impossible to source directly.
Some of the key use cases include:
- Audience targeting: finding the right individuals or businesses to contact, based on real criteria like industry, size, job role or location
- CRM enrichment: enhancing existing customer or prospect records with missing data points
- Data validation: regularly checking that records are still active, accurate and legally compliant
- Market insight: building a clearer view of trends, segments and customer potential using third-party data
When well-sourced and well-maintained, brokered data becomes a strategic asset, it supports more effective, measurable activity across departments. It’s a consistently growing market too. The global data broker market, valued at $257.2 billion in 2023, is set to surge to $441.4 billion by 2032 (7.4% CAGR), according to an SNS Insider report.
How UK regulation applies
In the UK, data brokers must operate under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This includes requirements around:
- Legal basis for processing: there must be a lawful reason to collect and share personal data — for example, legitimate interest or consent
- Transparency: individuals must be informed if their data is being collected and shared
- Data minimisation: only data that is relevant and necessary for a specific purpose can be processed
- Opt-out and access rights: people must be able to request their data, correct inaccuracies, or have it removed
Businesses using third-party data also have responsibilities — particularly when it comes to ensuring that data was collected lawfully, and that its use aligns with both regulation and internal policies.
Working with a broker: what to look for
Not all data brokers in the UK operate at the same standard. Businesses sourcing data should carry out due diligence before buying or licensing datasets.
Questions worth asking include:
- Where was the data collected, and what legal basis was used?
- How often is the dataset updated or verified?
- Is the data suitable for the intended use case (e.g. marketing, analytics, KYC)?
- Are there clear permissions or opt-in records where required?
- How does the broker respond to data subject requests?
A responsible data broker in the UK should be able to answer these questions clearly and provide documentation where needed. If the source or compliance process seems vague, it’s worth being cautious — especially when handling personal data.
Data brokers are an essential part of the marketing landscape
In the UK, data brokers play a critical role in helping organisations reach the right audiences, maintain accurate databases, and improve performance through reliable, structured information.
But accuracy, transparency and legality matter — both for the broker and for the business using the data. Choosing the right partner means understanding not just what data is available, but where it comes from, how it’s maintained, and whether it meets the standards expected by regulators and customers alike.
At Integra Data Solutions, we own our own data, and have built out a vast database over time and kept it up-to-date with the latest information to aid the efficacy of our campaigns. We often work with data brokers to gather specialist data sets and work on specific campaigns.
If you want to find out more about our services or how we can help boost your campaign, get in touch with the team by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.