Entering the post-cookie era.
"Every marketer shudders at the thought of a cookieless world. Cookies allowed us to be passive observers, collecting buckets of data that we could use at every stage of the customer journey.”
Data is increasingly in short supply as regulators and brands respond to growing consumer expectations of privacy. While other browsers have already taken steps to remove or limit the reach of third-party tracking cookies, Google’s Chrome browser holds the lion’s share with slightly more than 66% of desktop viewing — and they’re pledging to end support for third-party tracking cookies by 2024.
As Kerry Ok, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Okta, remarked: "Every marketer shudders at the thought of a cookieless world. Cookies allowed us to be passive observers, collecting buckets of data that we could use at every stage of the customer journey.”Meanwhile, MarTech reports that 75% of marketers still rely “heavily” on third-party tracking cookies.
Sure, Google’s pushed out that deadline to end support for cookies a handful of times. In particular, regulatory intervention in the UK has added lengthy delays. But you shouldn’t wait to act. This white paper will give you the context you need to adapt early and quickly. You’ll learn the tricks and strategies to understand your customers in this post-cookie world, and see how modern customer identity technology can help.
MarTech reports that 75% of marketers still rely “heavily” on third-party tracking cookies.
So, third-party tracking cookies are incredibly helpful for marketers. Why is Google getting rid of them? This isn't just a Google issue. It’s a reflection of consumers assigning increased value to their privacy and how lawmakers and brands have responded:
Data privacy impact: The introduction of legislation like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which gave consumers additional rights with regards to their personal data. The GDPR inspired similar legislation in other countries and regions such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and amendment, the California Privacy Rights Act, Brazil’s Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), and Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI). The ePrivacy Directive runs in conjunction with the GDPR and each EU country’s regulations governing the use of cookies and gathering consent beyond “strictly necessary” cookies.
Anti-tracking tech: Technology companies have also introduced anti-tracking measures, most notably Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT).
Privacy as brand differentiator: Brands increasingly use privacy as a way to distinguish their products from their rivals. Examples include Apple’s Safari browser, which has blocked third-party tracking cookies by default since the release of iOS 14 and MacOS Big Sur.
Browser fingerprinting pushback: eTechnology companies have pushed back against browser fingerprinting — a way of uniquely identifying an individual without the need to use a tracking cookie. Examples include Apple and Mozilla, which include anti-fingerprinting measures by default.
Users often opt to block cookies: A recent SERNAC study in Chile found that when asked explicitly, 95% of users will choose to block cookies. In the U.S., only 32% of people in another survey chose to always accept all cookies.
The writing is on the wall, but marketers are already more prepared than they realize.
