Looking into a cookieless world

Written By : Rashmi Singh

Google first announced that it will discontinue the use of third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2022. A few months later it postponed the plan to the end of 2023. And now the plan has shifted to 2024. But marketers realize that sooner or later, third-party cookies are going to end.

Third-party cookies were in use for more than two decades now. As a result, most marketers are used to tracking website visitors, improving user experiencing, and targeting ads. But all of this will end with the tech giant phasing out the use of third-party cookies in its chrome browser.

Google has taken the decision for two reasons: internet users’ growing concern about their digital privacy and the ever-increasing regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

The digital advertising industry is estimated to have a value of $336 billion. The industry includes many players like publishers, advertisers, marketing agencies, and tech giants such as Google and Facebook.

Most companies that historically relied on third-party cookies are sceptical about alternatives to third-party cookies. A number of marketing agencies and advertisers think that cookie depreciation will hurt the revenue until they find reliable alternatives.

The deprecation of third-party cookies can be seen as an opportunity to understand your audience in a new way. Marketers can use try the following methods to thrive in a cookieless world:

• Build Your Own First-party Data

Earlier, companies hesitated to invest in building first-party data when they knew they can use third-party cookies. But now is a great time to connect with your consumers directly and know more about how they engage with your brand. There are many easy ways out there that can help companies collect first-party data on their websites and apps.

• Stop Using Multiple Domains

When you run multiple domains of your brand, there is a high chance of duplication of customer IDs. You can prevent that from happening simply by using a single domain and tracking the persistent and authenticated IDs of your users. This way, you can get a holistic view of how your audience is interacting with your brand. Getting a holistic view of the customer journey always gives rise to potential cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

• Use People-based Durable Identifiers

People-based durable identifiers are IDs that are authenticated at the user level. A few good examples of people-based durable identifiers are phone numbers and email addresses. You can use them across all your platforms and still make sure that you are not duplicating your customer IDs. On top of that, such data can also be shared between marketers and advertisers without causing any privacy concerns.

• Build Second-party Partnerships

Between first-party cookies and third-party cookies lie second-party cookies. It is an arrangement between two parties where they either share their first-party data with each other or drop a container on each other’s website to collect data. This is done through a mutual/contractual agreement.

Time in the digital space passes quicker than time in the real space. What happened on the internet a year back feels like a thing of yesterday. This also means that Google’s plan of ending third-party cookies in 2024 is closer on the horizon. It is better that marketing agencies, publishers, and other players prepare themselves for what is about to come.

Try Bold CMS if you want to collect first-party data securely from your website. Our CMS offers you first-party data about your content and audience which ultimately helps you make smart editorial decisions.