Third party cookies: what’s happening?

Google is going to phase out the use of third-party cookies. Although this isn’t new (Safari and Firefox have been doing this for years), it is a big deal – Chrome has more than 50% of the market: this might as well be the death of the third-party cookies.  

Let’s recap: what are third-party cookies?  

Third-party cookies are cookies created by domains other than the one you are visiting at the time. They are mainly used to track your online behavior for advertising purposes. Because even Google can’t deny the growing importance of data privacy on the web, they are now phasing out the use of these cookies.  

What does this mean for marketers?  

Google would not be Google if they didn’t come up with some alternative. Of course, they will not let their ads revenue go down the drain. They’ll be launching the Privacy Sandbox – an open standard that still allows personalized ads, while improving the user’s privacy (in theory). Marketers who solely relied on third-party cookies to obtain data and will have to find new ways to get to know their customers.  

Good news for Sitecore and Kentico users  

When third-party cookies will disappear, first-party cookies will gain importance. This is where it gets interesting: both Sitecore and Kentico leverage first-party cookies to deliver a personalized experience. You don’t need third-party cookies to gain insights – you can build customer relationships through your Sitecore or Kentico DXP.  

This does not mean that other cookies, like first-party cookies, will be left alone. It’s safe to say that they will also get restricted over time. It thus becomes even more important to create valuable content for your visitors, so they keep coming back.   

If you would like more information about Sitecore or Kentico, don’t hesitate to get in touch.