How to prepare for the third-party cookie phase ou

The crumble of third-party cookies

15th September 2022, 11:11am in Business by Amy Newham

Are you and your business prepared for the third-party cookie phase-out next year?

Most marketers are familiar with third-party cookies; they are placed on a website by someone other than the owner to collect user data for the interested third party. They help to display targeted ads to potential customers, understand buyer behaviour and create audience segments. However, third-party cookies are set to be phased out by Google in late 2023.

Why is Google phasing out third-party cookies?

As web privacy and data protection has become more and more important in recent years, the public have become less keen on trackers and more keen on transparency. That's why Google Chrome is joining more privacy-focused browsers like Brave and Safari.

What does this change mean?

Billions of users worldwide use Google Chrome as their default browser, so this change significantly impacts businesses that rely on a third-party cookie for their digital marketing strategy. With less than a year to go until these changes take place, there are steps your business can take to help adjust to a life without third-party cookies and still collect data.

Implement a first-party cookie strategy

Many companies are applying a first-party cookie initiative to help adapt to the changing browser policies around cookies. First-party cookies are directly collected and stored by the website a user visits. For example, Facebook has created a Conversion API tool which allows businesses to share data directly from their server with Ads Manager. You can also update your Facebook plugins on WooCommerce or Shopify to transfer data directly from your store with Ads Manager.

Configure a Google Analytics 4 property

If you currently use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to manage and review data, now is an excellent time to use Event Tracking. You can record when someone clicks on a blog post, signs up for a mailing list or clicks on a phone number on your website. You can also optimise GA4 to collect supplementary data such as first-party information like feedback from surveys or geographic information.

If you're not familiar with GA4, check out our blog on the upcoming GA changes and what they mean for you.

Go direct to customers

What's the best way of finding out what your customers want? By asking them!

A zero-party strategy includes asking your buyers how likely they are to purchase goods, their communication preferences, product reviews or asking for an email address to inform them when an item is back in stock etc. You could ask for this information via a quiz, survey or product offer to target customers.

Build an engagement strategy

In the eCommerce world, trust and reputation are so important so being able to interact with your customers is a great way to build a strong engagement strategy. The easier your company is to engage with, the more you'll build trust and benefit from knowing more about their wants and consequently can target them better. Plus, building an engagement strategy removes the reliance on cookies of any form or party. In return for feedback on your brand, you could offer loyalty benefits like discount codes or free shipping.

Communication is key

The main takeaway from collecting consumer data is to ensure you are upfront with your customers about how you manage and use their data. If you are transparent with how their information is used, many consumers are happy to share as they feel like they can trust your brand and ultimately, you benefit from understanding their preferences so you can tailor your products or services and target specific requests.

At Interparcel, we are always eager to hear your feedback on your experience with us. That's why we respond to testimonials and social media posts and aim to improve and help with any issues raised. You can also tailor your communication preferences with us in your online account to receive our newsletter containing news, updates and competitions.

We are also focused on on helping businesses grow with our useful shipping tools, account features and range of low-cost domestic and international delivery services. You can get an instant list of courier services and prices for your parcel using our Quick Quote.