Google in 2021 announced that Chrome will no longer support third-party cookies by late 2023. This is a shocker and a loss to the marketers. Brands have continued to use third-party cookies for decades as it helps them know website visitors’ behaviour even when they are not online.
Cookies don’t only help businesses know a customer but also help in personalizing their experience. In a way, cookies are small data files that remember you, and this data helps in personalization. However, it is important to note that not all cookies are good. Sometimes you may check the flag and give consent to accept cookies.
You can learn more about why third-party cookies are going away and how they will affect businesses. Data breaches are a common consequence of storing cookies as a user’s personal information is the most compromisable. While this is one of the reasons for banning third-party cookies, several others exist.
In this article, we want to cover everything marketers and consumers should know about this change. Before knowing what advertisers and retailers should know, let us understand the why behind this.
All about the third-party cookies phase-out
User privacy is the most important factor for any business. A business’s credibility is questioned if users’ information is found to be compromised by the brand in any way.
Google announced to block third-party cookies in February last year and provided the reasoning for the same. It stated that this move was made while considering users’ privacy.
The statement read, “Users are demanding greater privacy–including transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used–and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands.”
The important fact to note here is that Firefox and Safari had already phased out usage of third-party cookies. However, Google stated that the changes would occur over time not to disrupt the web ecosystem and online advertising for marketers.
Well, chrome is not the first browser to remove third-party cookies; it is certainly the biggest as it accounts for more than half of global web traffic. At the same time, Safari and Firefox have blocked third-party cookies since 2013. Since all browsers will stop supporting third-party cookies, a few headlines call it the “death of the third-party cookies.”
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3 things to know about the cookie phase-out for advertisers and consumers
Well, it is easy to think that Google will stop tracking people once third-party cookies phase out. However, that is not the case. We have mentioned five things marketers and consumers should know about this phase-out.
1. Google won’t phase out all cookies
41% of marketers stated that their biggest challenge would be to be unable to track the right data. Well, if you think all your marketing strategies that included cookies will come crashing down, take a breather. Google has stated that it will only phase out third-party cookies.
First-party cookies that track the basic data of website visitors can still be used as they are safe.
In fact, while making the announcement, the tech giant called first-part cookies vital for a business. This ensures that first-party cookies on all browsers will stay intact. First-party cookies simply track what a visitor did while visiting your website and other basic analytics that you can use and devise a marketing strategy surrounding them.
While the above information is important for the advertisers, the below points mentioned are for consumers.
- They must decide what privacy means to them and reconsider what was already shared in the past.
- Not to mindlessly deny consent to a website and consider how it will help personalize their visit to the website.
- Not to turn down all opt-in sites as it will lead to more and more paywalls which will further limit the standardization of information online.
2. Google will still track people
The tech giant has announced to stop using third-party cookies. These cookies track visitors individually. Google has already witnessed successful advertising results through a technology named FloC that tracks a group of people rather than individuals. This technology groups people based on common interests, hiding individuals within masses and tracking them.
Google also said Chrome would make FLoC-based cohorts publicly available for testing with advertisers in Google Ads.
3. Start devising innovative marketing strategies
As a marketer or an advertiser, you may panic given these amends. However, as of now, the best thing to do is to keep up with any news related to data privacy or third-party cookies that could affect your business. If your marketing strategies largely depend on third-party cookies, it’s time to consider new strategies and make changes.
You should also keep an eye on software or solutions that can help you enhance the transition away from this type of cookie.
Wrapping up
Hopefully, the article helped you understand the effects and causes of third-party cookies and their importance in marketing your business.
Well, if you intend to make your brand safe from such future or legal governance, be prepared with strategies that you can use without using third-party cookies. Brainstorm to create some fundamental strategies that do not require a massive amount of users’ data. This way, you will be more prepared and less vulnerable to such technological amends and still continue growing your business.
Now that you know how third-party cookies help in marketing, get started with tailoring new marketing strategies or making amends for the old ones. All the best!
Author Bio:
Parita Pandya is an Engineer turned Writer. She usually finds herself writing for businesses. When she is not writing, she is either strumming her guitar or penning her thoughts down on paritapandya.com.