Title have you confused with the beloved Sesame Street character? Well unfortunately, this article is not about the tasty snack, but now that we have you, you might as well keep on reading.
Towards the end of 20221, Google made and announcement that had been in the works for quite some time: their Chrome browser will no longer support third part cookies. As a consumer and site visitor, this news will not really affect you. But for the businesses and marketers out there, this is quite the game changer.
What are Website Cookies?
Before we go into why third part cookies have been phased out, you’ll need to know what they are. Website cookies are essentially trackers that track user behaviour online. SO, if you were to visit any site – including this one – it will tack the way on which you interact with the site.
This means that it will look at how long you’re on the site, the pages you visit and the data that you submit. First party cookies will collect this data for use by the website owner. For example, if you were on Cadbury’s site, it would record the page you visit and page even your favourite chocolate.
Third party cookies on the other hand extend beyond the original site. So, if you were on Cadbury’s site and accepted the third party cookies, the website will continue to track your behaviour, even when you’ve left the site. This data is then shared with Cadbury. So if you left the site and went onto a fresh fruit and vegetable site, it will record and share this information. Basically, big brother is watching you.
The purpose of this all is to help tailor marketing efforts to meet customer needs and expectation. However in an age where privacy matters, third part cookies are seen as harmful.
The Impact Of Google’s Announcement
So, now that you know what cookies do, you can see how this can impact the online world. For customers, this move helps to ensure their privacy and keep their data secure, just like a casino online South Africa does. However, for marketers, this means that they’re suddenly losing out on a ton of data. If you consider the fact that 3.2 billion people use the internet browser, this is a lot of data that they’re missing out on.
As a result, marketers and businesses will need to rethink their marketing strategy and find new ways of reaching a wider audience. Sure, first party data is still available but it’s not nearly as in-depth. Second part cookies can still track user activity across affiliate sites, which is also helpful.
Third party cookies may still be available in some instances, however users need to opt in and allow them to track their online behaviour. Google’s Privacy Sandbox is a handy tool to help marketers navigate this changing time as it give markers the ability to share trends and information.
So, the death of the cookie isn’t the end of the world.