What does a cookie-less world mean to a loyalty marketer?

The one thing that every marketer relies on is data. It is this data that helps them reach the right audience and enhance the overall user experience. However, some significant changes are on its way to make things a little challenging for marketers around the world- the demise of third-party cookies. 

With many browsers already phasing out support for third-party cookies, the cookie-less world is on the horizon, and it will significantly affect how loyalty marketers operate.

Third-party cookies have been a fundamental part of digital marketing for over a decade in providing valuable data to track user behavior and personalize online experiences. However, with the increasing focus on data privacy, internet users are more concerned about how their data is collected and used.

In response to these concerns, major internet browsers like Microsoft Edge and Safari have already taken steps to phase out support for third-party cookies. Google has also announced plans to eliminate third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by 2023 leaving marketers in a challenging position.

A cookie-less world means that marketers will have to find new ways to build customer loyalty and engagement.

The Impact of the Cookieless World on Marketers

All the data collected using third-party cookies (like search history and websites visited, social media sites used, etc.) is utilized to create a more detailed view of the consumer so that the targeted ads match the person being served.

Here are the challenges of a cookieless world for marketers:

• The death of third-party cookies means that it will be harder for marketers to measure the effectiveness of their loyalty programs. Without cookies, it becomes more difficult to track customer behavior and correlate it with loyalty program participation.
• Without cookies, it becomes more difficult to track user behavior across devices and platforms, which can make it harder to create personalized experiences. This is particularly challenging in an era when customers use more devices than ever before, from smartphones to tablets to smartwatches.
• A cookieless world also means that it will be more difficult to gather data on customer behavior and preferences.

How to Face these Challenges

A cookieless world, however, is not the end of marketing. To address the challenges faced due to the phasing out of third-party cookies, marketers will now have to find new ways to collect data that can improve the efficiency of their targeting. Here are some alternatives that can help them redefine their marketing strategies:

1. More First-Party Data Collection

The demise of third-party cookies means that loyalty marketers need to focus on collecting and utilizing first-party data. First-party data is the information collected directly from customers or prospects through website analytics, email lists, surveys, or any other means of engagement.

By collecting first-party data, marketers can build a deeper understanding of their customers, including their behaviors, preferences, and interests. This data can then be used to personalize experiences and build loyalty.

2. Offer Incentives for Data Sharing

To encourage customers to share their data voluntarily, loyalty marketers can offer incentives such as exclusive discounts or early access to new products.

3. Contextual Advertising

Contextual advertising uses website content to target ads to customers based on their interests. By analyzing the content on a website, marketers can personalize experiences and target ads to customers who are most likely to be interested in a particular product or service.

Contextual targeting can also be used to personalize website content, such as product recommendations or personalized content based on the customer’s interests. It gives marketers more control over where their ads appear, ensuring that those sites align with their brand values. 

According to Accenture, 83% of customers are willing to share their data to create a more personalized experience. Capillary’s Customer Data Platform leverages critical data carefully for hyper-personalization content across various channels seamlessly. 

4. Invest in a Loyalty Program

A loyalty program is an excellent way to build customer loyalty, and it can be particularly effective in a cookie-less world. By offering rewards, exclusive deals, and personalized experiences, loyalty programs can create a sense of exclusivity and encourage customers to return to a business.

When creating a loyalty program, it’s essential to make it easy to use and understand. The program should also offer a variety of rewards and incentives to keep customers engaged.

Capillary’s Loyalty Management Software is used by more than 250 brands across 30 countries to create high-level and engaging loyalty programs.

5. Focus on Privacy

With data privacy becoming an increasingly important issue, marketers need to be transparent and accountable in collecting and using customer data. It’s essential to be clear about data collection and usage policies and to provide customers with options for how their data is used.

By focusing on privacy, marketers can build trust with their customers, which is essential for building loyalty.

Capillary’s Privacy Management System helps marketers to ensure a seamless intersection of customer journeys and privacy regulations across the globe. 

6. Utilize New Technologies

In a cookie-less world, new technologies are emerging that can help marketers build customer loyalty. For example, machine learning algorithms can analyze customer behavior and provide personalized recommendations.

Voice search is another emerging technology that can be used to personalize experiences and build customer loyalty. By analyzing customer voice searches, marketers can gain insight into customer behavior and preferences.

Capillary’s Ask Aira helps marketers to engage with customers more personally and build emotional connections by providing relevant prompts regarding messaging tone and generating communication ideas.

Conclusion

No matter how hard the challenge is, there’s always a way to overcome it and the same applies in the case of marketing in a cookieless world. Nothing remains the same forever and that’s why it is important to stay updated and keep reinventing strategies. And once a marketer has aced that, there’s nothing stopping him from creating successful a marketing approach.

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With a knack for creating engaging content and crafting effective social media campaigns, Anjali wants to make it her mission to leverage the power of content as a strategic marketing tool for businesses. While she is not working, she is either binging movies or writing about them on her blog.