On Monday, July 22, 2024, Google announced yet another update to its cookie deprecation schedule. Except that this time around, the company shared that third-party cookies are here to stay after all. Citing the anticipated impact of the impending transition and the success of its “Privacy Sandbox” initiative, the company has canceled its plans for deprecation and will instead “introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing.”
In the end, the cookie didn’t crumble. So what does this mean for retailers, brands, and advertisers who have been faithfully preparing for the third-party cookie’s demise? While the cookie’s survival certainly boosts web advertising, brands should pause before disregarding their first-party strategy. Here’s why:
- The advertising ecosystem has evolved. Ultimately, whether you’re relying on a third-party cookie or first-party data, the name of the advertising game is creating targeted, relevant messaging that personalizes the journey for customers. That journey has evolved to include cookieless destinations like connected tv (CTV) and in-app browsing, as well as the ever-present retail media network, which requires advanced segmentation and targeting capabilities across a wide variety of channels, including in-store signs and kiosks.
In order to meet your customers where they’re spending their time, you’ll need the rich insights possible through enhanced first-party data.
- Offline identity resolution is still a must. In order to reach your customers, you need to know who you’re talking to and get a complete picture of their purchasing behaviors and preferences. That includes their in-store experience. But there’s no cookie to link offline transactions to individual shoppers. Instead, solutions like our exclusive offline identity resolution capability can help you both authenticate identities and link them to individual transactions, creating a much fuller picture of who’s buying what, how much, and when—all of which informs your personalization and media strategy.
- Consumers use browsers other than Chrome. Google may not be parting ways with the third-party cookie, but plenty of other web browsers have, like Firefox and Safari. You’ll still need a strategy for identifying, understanding and engaging these customers across multiple channels in a way that honors consumer privacy.
The cookie may live on, but targeting and personalization strategies that rely solely on third-party insights will not. Case in point: 40% of Chrome users have already opted out of tracking. In order to remain competitive in a landscape dominated by emerging channels and retail media networks, retailers, brands, and advertisers must expand and enrich their first-party data to fully understand and reach customers according to their preferences.
About Bridg
At Bridg, we’re committed to helping our customers continue to evolve their approach to advertising with our cookieless identity resolution capability, as well as Rippl, our data and media network that unlocks collaboration between regional retailers and advertisers. Contact us to learn more.
