Google stops using third party cookie

Ever observed how a few ads follow you across the websites? These advertisements usually are of products you have browsed earlier. You must have also observed how few websites store your account information even the products you left in their cart – Cookies are responsible for these little stunts.

And naturally, the news of Google’s plan to kill the third party cookie has sent nothing less than a shock wave into the digital marketing industry. And that is how important third party cookie can be for the digital marketing industry.

But what is a cookie? What is a third-party cookie? Why is Google trying to get rid of it? Our Digital Marketers at Samskriti Business Solutions are here to answer. Read on to know everything:

What is a Cookie?

Every noticed a dialogue box that appears as you browse a new website?  It’s the cookie policy of the website which dozily you click on accept and continue your browsing. As you accept the policy, the specific website now inserts a piece of code into your system, say like a tracker – in marketing jargon, it is called a first-party cookie.

 For example, let us assume that you have accepted a cookie policy of an e-commerce website. Now using the cookie, an eCommerce website in general can track the items you clicked, record the items you have put in the shopping cart, the page you have visited and in essence, it can record your overall activity on their website from start to finish.

The e-commerce website uses cookies to improve the experience it provides to its users. Since a cookie tracks the user activity in the website, it helps the website show the right products based on the users’ interest and helps them all along your journey.

Now comes the third-party cookie which is an advanced version of a regular cookie.

What is a Third-party Cookie?

Unlike a first party cookie (mentioned above) which was placed in your browser by the specific website, a third party is placed by the advertising platforms.

Take Google double click network for example. If you have looked for t-shirt for an e-commerce website that is on the Google network (most of them are), the ad for the same apparel appears on another website to remind and retarget the user.

While a first party cookie identifies the users and tracks their activity on a specific website, a third party cookie identifies the users and tracks them across different websites. The most common use of this cross-site tracking is retargeting. They are common tools for the advertisers to track the online activity of the users, segment them and leverage behavioural targeting.

So why is Google killing the third party cookie?

Google’s the largest digital advertising platform and owns an entire ecosystem that makes it the most lucrative business for them. However, there have been growing concerns among users about data privacy. Browsers like Firefox, Safari and Brave already blocked the third party cookies and not pulling the switch could be detrimental for Google.

But that’s not all about it – Google is no plans to stop tracking all together. Third party cookie will be replaced by a new tracking ecosystem called FLoC which however doesn’t individually track the users but segments them into groups for based on their interests, for marketing purposes. This system may even further beef up the power Google has on its users and reduces the power of ad networks.

 FLoC is a win-win for Google in terms of increasing their hold over the audience and also pacifying the privacy concerns of the users. So what is the future of digital marketing services in a cookie-less world you ask?  Let’s discuss it in our next blog. That said, at Samskriti we closely observe the present and anticipate the future and craft effective digital marketing strategies for businesses for improved marketing performance and ROI. So if you are a business looking for Digital Marketing Services in Hyderabad, you can contact Samskriti Business Solutions

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