Privacy and consent will be crucial in personalisation strategies with the shift away from third-party cookies. Marketers must prioritise user privacy, be explicit with consent, and be transparent about data collection and usage. Implementing robust consent management platforms and adhering to privacy regulations will be vital in building customer trust.
First-party data refers to the information collected directly from customers or prospects. In a cookieless environment, it becomes invaluable. Marketing teams must focus on strategies that encourage data collection directly from users, such as decision trees. This helps gather the insights needed to build a strong foundation for personalisation.
In a cookieless future, the focus should be building trust, leveraging first-party data, embracing privacy, and utilising advanced analytics and AI technologies. By prioritising these areas, you can continue to deliver personalised experiences to your customers while complying with privacy regulations and adapting to the evolving digital landscape.
Context + Perspective + Personalisation > Third-Party Data
Contextual personalisation focuses on delivering relevant content based on the context of the user's current activity rather than relying on stored data. We strongly encourage contextual targeting strategies and believe in many ways that it's a more accurate model than a traditional funnel. Analysing page content, keywords, and user intent allow for powerful content recommendations in real time that moves the user forward in their journey. By aligning your messaging and offers with the user's browsing session context, you can still deliver personalised experiences without relying heavily on cookies.
With limited access to third-party data, investing in analytics tools and technologies for more than checking page views is essential. Crafty marketers can gain deeper insights into your first-party data and uncover patterns and trends. This knowledge enables you to create more refined customer segments based on behaviour, preferences, and demographics, allowing for more targeted and personalised marketing campaigns.
From one user to groups of users with contexts
I talk about segmentation a lot. I moved into IT and DevOps from Finance for a company (carbon-dating myself) that was an early adopter of eCommerce, adding it as a channel to existing retail and catalogue business. The folks in marketing leveraged segmentation in ways that have become a lost art. GA4 and other analytics tools allow for sophisticated rules and use AI to help recognise actionable trends in traffic.
The benefits of segmentation are manifold, but it primarily allows you to connect your domain knowledge and familiarity with the customer with what they are doing on your website. This magic combination of experience, data, and imagination is more effective than a typical website with static content without the risks of excessive data processing.
It's a new world, but marketers have the agility
As we transition to a cookieless landscape, marketers must adapt and think about their users differently. Building trust through transparent data practices and obtaining explicit consent is essential. Collecting valuable insights directly from customers, utilising contextual targeting, and embracing analytics tools can help you create effective personalisation without heavy reliance on cookies.
