Third-party cookies are tools that allow marketers on other sites to track and understand the paths of users on a targeted site. The goal is to take advantage of this personal information for retargeting and targeted advertising.  

With detailed, in-depth analytics, operators are able to see the paths taken by consumers to determine their lifestyle and buying behavior. Ads can then be set in the right place at the right time, greatly increasing the likelihood of conversion and purchase.  

Users are increasingly concerned about their privacy and how their personal information is used and disclosed. Going hand in hand with this trend, several stricter regulations have been put in place in recent years such as the General Data Protection Regulation in 2016.   

Already abolished by some web browsers, Google announced in 2020 that it will follow this trend by eliminating third-party cookies by 2022. Cookies are therefore bound to disappear leaving a certain sense of uncertainty and instability among digital marketers regarding tracking and ad targeting.

Marketing management will be greatly affected, as companies will have access to less relevant information from different websites. With the increased protection of user data, it will be difficult to target as accurately as before. The effectiveness of the various marketing and advertising efforts put in place may decrease and affect the conversion rate downwards.   

Google has proposed an alternative to cookies called the “Privacy Sandbox”. This solution was presented by Google as a way to continue to be able to collect and analyze data for targeting purposes, while ensuring greater protection for users. This new option will be based, among other things, on the grouping of Internet users with similar consumer habits into large groups. The fact of being hidden through this cohort of individuals allows for increased privacy protection while offering a certain accuracy in advertising targeting.  

Inbound marketing is a relevant and effective option to make your marketing efforts profitable. This strategy is a solution to the suppression of third-party cookies and the feeling of saturation experienced by some customers who are no longer receptive to traditional mass advertising.   

The principle of this strategy is to attract potential customers to your site with quality content that makes the customer experience optimal. How to attract users to your site? It would be relevant to conduct a market study that will allow you to better understand their expectations and needs. With a more personalized offer, you will be able to attract users to your page and eventually transform their interests into concrete actions.   

One of the techniques used by Inbound Marketing, to create a unique and adapted offer, is the automation marketing. With this tool, it is possible to send personalized emails or offers to individuals who have already shown an interest in your brand in order to encourage them to take action on your website. To learn more about the best platforms to use to send your newsletters efficiently, consult this article. 

In conclusion, the imminent disappearance of third-party cookies will have a huge impact on targeted advertising and tracking across various search engines. To ensure that advertising efforts are profitable, marketers must change their practices to still be able to understand their audiences and respond effectively to their needs.