Cookieless Future: A Challenge or Opportunity?

When Google first announced in 2020 that we would see a cookieless future in their Chrome browser, marketers became increasingly concerned on what getting rid of third-party cookies means for them.

Google has announced its plans to become “a more privacy-first web”. Following the footsteps of Apple’s IOS 14 update, Chrome will remove third-party cookies from its browser by 2024. To address growing privacy concerns, Google implemented this major change to improve user privacy and security – in short, giving users more control over how their data is used across the board.

Data plays a vital role in identifying the customer base. Third-party cookies track users’ behaviour on websites and display ads more relevant to their interests. The beginning phase of moving into a cookieless future will be done over a three-month period in 2024.

It is important to note here that Google only restricts the usage of third-party cookies. In other words, you can still track data with a different approach while keeping privacy in mind.

A cookieless future means you will no longer capture data identifying individual users. We have already seen shifts towards the cookieless world, with Apple’s iOS14 update using an intelligent tracking prevention feature (ITP) to restrict third-party cookies in their web browser from collecting individual data and tracking them across the web.

Even though it is a major step in ensuring individual privacy, how will it affect marketers? Organizations will undoubtedly process data differently as a result of this change. Firstly, organizations shift towards adopting first-party strategies, federated learning of cohorts (FLoC), and using contextual marketing to keep collecting and processing data.

Changes in data privacy have occurred over the years with the introduction of privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), putting people’s privacy at the forefront. Google acknowledges how intrusive tracking has become, as well as end-user concerns about the use of their data. Past events with Meta haven’t helped dwindle concerns, most notably the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which has made users become more protective of their data.

With a dominant market share of 65.84% in online advertising, Chrome has the power to make a massive impact in the digital landscape. This sees the need for organizations to restructure their strategies for collecting data. Even the likes of tech giants Meta and TikTok are moving away from using third-party cookies, creating their own first-party cookies for Pixel tracking purposes.

With less focus on tracking individual users, organizations will be challenged to create fewer personalized campaigns (for more generic ones). Although a challenge, there is a workaround solution available. Users may prefer a more personalized experience; therefore, you can collect first-party data by allowing users to create customer accounts on your website, allowing them to subscribe to an email list, download a lead magnet (in exchange for an email address) or ask them to fill out a feedback form.

It goes without saying that as quickly as people can opt into your marketing service, they are entitled to opt out as they wish. So make sure you have opt-out or deactivation options available on your website, emails, and apps – or else you will be violating GDPR.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you do not need to set cookies on your website to collect data. GA4 uses first-party data to separate users and sessions from a single user. This way, GA4 randomly generates a user ID without revealing sensitive information about the users allowing you to track them across the site and app.

While the use of third-party cookies is still in operation, we recommend you perform A/B testing by running both current campaigns and cookieless campaigns and monitor results to see if you encounter any significant differences.

• Chrome is shifting away from the use of third-party cookies in a move similar to the Apple IOS 14 update.
• Alternative options to collect data for web and marketing purposes include first-party strategies, federated learning of cohorts (FLoC), and contextual marketing.
• The ban on third-party cookies will not majorly impact social media tracking as social media platforms such as Meta and TikTok have already launched their own first-party data pixels.