How will the Cookieless World Shape Your Business?

The end of 3rd party cookies draws nearer, and many marketers are anxious about the impact of Google Chrome, the dominant browser with a 60% market share, blocking their use. Safari, Firefox, and Edge have already transitioned to the cookieless model, and Google Chrome’s decision will bring about a significant revolution in the online advertising industry. However, the change doesn’t have to be so bad. By familiarizing yourself with alternative technologies, you can still successfully market your brand in a cookieless world.

Why is the cookieless world such a big deal?

Third-party cookies have been a true staple for gathering data about website visitors and helped many companies in their advertising efforts for many years. Of course, collected information is used to personalise the browsing experience of each user. That also means allowing websites to display ads that are tailored to their interests and creating highly customised content. 3rd party cookies also allow for retargeting, which matches ads to users based on their past browsing behaviour, leading to higher effectiveness and better advertising results. That’s why the end of 3rd party cookies is causing concern among brands that have relied on them for customised and effective advertising for so long.

How can 1st party data save you from a cookieless world?

In a world without 3rd party cookies, the use of 1st party data is becoming increasingly important. Why is that? Because while 3rd party cookies collect information about users’ interactions with multiple websites, 1st party cookies restrict the scope of data collection to a single domain or app. They record such user activity as language settings, product searches, and content preferences, providing valuable insights for website optimization in the process. Since 1st party cookies are limited to one website or app, they are less intrusive and provide better privacy protection for users while still allowing some personalization.

How to efficiently use 1st party cookies in advertising?

As we mentioned, in the absence of 3rd party cookies, 1st party data can still play a vital role in improving your advertising campaigns. One way to use them is through retargeting campaigns. Why? Because they allow you to gather information about how users interact with your website or app, what products they search for, and how they make purchases. Although 1st party data cannot be used to customise ads directly, you can create interest groups that bring together similar users while still maintaining their privacy. Then, by using FLEDGE, one of the ideas developed by Google Privacy Sandbox, you can target these groups across different websites. For instance, if users browse domains with the trendiest models of smartphones, you can place them in a group interested in buying a brand new phone in the future and show them ads that highlight the benefits of choosing certain brands, technologies or features. This may potentially lead to higher conversion rates. As you see, the cookieless world doesn’t seem so scary!