Until now we have known a world with cookies, where eCommerce businesses could track their users and had all kinds of data to improve their online marketing strategy. This data was usually collected by third-party cookies and, with simple tracking, we could use tools such as Google Analytics and Google Ads without any problem. Cookies have become a basic advertising tool, but Google has already warned that third-party cookies will disappear in 2023 and we must adapt to a new cookieless era.
New privacy laws such as the GDPR set out how data must be collected and stored, and users can control what data they share and how it may or may not be used for personalized ads.
According to an Axios study, 81% of consumers say that over the past year they have become more concerned about how companies use their data. This has a direct impact on online marketing, as less data is collected for campaigns. That’s why companies are estimated to have spent 2.7 times more on privacy and data security certifications: the future of online advertising lies in collecting your customers’ data yourself and knowing how to use it.
What will the internet look like without cookies?
In the coming years, consent will become very important. With more transparency and control over user data, awareness of consent for data use will spread across countries. Tools that let users control what data they agree to share will become more important.
Third-party cookies will disappear. Third-party cookies sit on a website and collect data for a third party (another company such as Google, Meta, etc.). These cookies will fall out of use and we will need tools that provide aggregated data, meaning they don’t store information about any individual user.
Predictive models will carry more weight. As we have access to less and less third-party cookie data, we will need tools that build predictive models and rely on machine learning and automation.
All this leads to a scenario where having First Party Data, your own data, will be essential for running your eCommerce’s online marketing.
The importance of First Party Data
In this new scenario, First Party Data becomes far more important. The data each company collects first-hand, whether on its website, CRM or social media, will be vital to keep running online marketing.
All this data is valuable to your business. It provides details about users and existing customers, and it will soon be the only way to advertise with “retargeting”.
There are already ways to use this data; for example, Google Ads lets you upload your own user databases to create audiences. All this information is very useful for the machine learning and automation mentioned earlier.
In the new cookieless landscape, advertisers will find it harder to get campaign performance, as reaching potential customers will be more complicated. What will we need to do?
Make sure you’re collecting your customers’ data. If you’re properly collecting your First Party Data, such as email, transaction ID, product ID… and correctly configure Google Ads and Google Analytics tags and events, you’ll be able to track your conversions and see how your ads are performing.
What does Google recommend to prepare for this scenario?
At Trilogi we are Google Partners Premier and are training to tackle this new scenario without impacting our clients’ campaign performance. Google’s guidelines are as follows:
- Make sure the Global Site Tag is set up on every page of your eCommerce so user data is collected properly.
- Set up enhanced conversions in Google Ads.
- Implement consent mode for cookies.
Also apply data-driven attribution in Google Analytics 4 to draw more conclusions and analyze user behavior.
The Global Site Tag, or Gtag, lets advertisers use our First Party Data with Google tools such as Ads or Analytics.
It’s time to get your eCommerce ready for the new cookieless era!
