Do you ever wonder how you get an Ad for the exact same pair of shoes you were just checking out online yesterday? In the world of digital marketing, this is an advertising method called retargeting. Ads like this heavily rely on a technology called cookies. Said simply, cookies are tiny bits of code that latch onto a user once they’ve visited a specific website. They help other websites identify which sites you have visited.
What are Third Party Cookies?
You might be familiar with first-party cookies, which can be very helpful for remembering login information or the items in your cart. While first party cookies only provide information about what a user did on that particular website, third party cookies can help a website track users from domain to domain across the web. This presents a privacy concern for users who prefer that their information isn’t accessed by marketers.
This technology won’t be around forever. Google Chrome, which accounts for more than half of all global web traffic will soon be following the former decisions of Safari and Firefox by eliminating third party cookies from its platform.
Why is Google Cancelling Third Party Cookies?
The phase-out of third-party cookies has long been foreseen by digital marketers. While this change was first announced in February of 2020, in a surprising update Google is now saying that the “cookie” technology won’t be replaced by alternative identifiers. In a recent post by Google, they explained “We don’t believe these solutions will meet rising consumer expectations for privacy, nor will they stand up to rapidly evolving regulatory restrictions, and therefore aren’t a sustainable long term investment.” At the end of the day, it’s all about meeting the privacy needs of their customers.
What Happens Next?
As we aim to strike a balance between respecting privacy and finding customers online, Google isn’t making this change over night. Their target date is January of 2022, and throughout the next year they will be working with marketers that rely on third party cookies to find the right solutions. Of course, you can be sure that Google’s advanced AI is part of what has given them the confidence to let go of third-party cookies on all of their platforms.
Contact Boston Web Marketing
Concerned about adjusting your marketing strategy with this major change ahead? Have no fear, we are already working with brands to help them navigate this change and get the results they want. Give us a call at 857-526-0096 or contact us here.