The leading browser vendors are massively upgrading their privacy features right now. Obviously, data protection has replaced speed as the top reason for choosing a browser. The target of the protective measures is actually not tracking for marketing automation, but rather tracking across different website providers, as is done by large online platforms and advertising networks. Once again, everything revolves around cookies.
Signalize also uses cookies for tracking user behavior. However, we already have solutions for you!
Goodbye Third-Party Cookie!
Apple started with the Safari browser, which has already been blocking third-party cookies by default for some time. In the meantime, Mozilla has followed suit with the Firefox browser and even Google has announced that it will prevent third-party cookies in the future.
At Signalize, we do not rely on third-party cookies, but rely primarily on first-party cookies. In this respect, the changes currently made to the default settings have no significant impact on the data collected with Signalize. Different subdomains (e.g. www.abc.de and blog.abc.de) are not affected either, as they share a first-party cookie.
Cookie runtime: 7 days
Cookies are divided into so-called first-party and third-party cookies, depending on whether they come from the domain that users are currently accessing (first-party) or from an external domain (third-party). In the case of first-party cookies, a further distinction can be made as to whether they are set on the client or server side. Client-side cookies can be used to track users across multiple websites. To at least limit this significantly, client-side cookies in Safari and Firefox browsers are limited to useage for seven days. Thus, conversions can only be attributed to campaign contacts within one week before the conversion. This makes it difficult to make statements about the (unique) number of visitors and return rates beyond seven days.
For Signalize, we have therefore enabled a longer cookie lifetime for all customers using “local storage”. The only limitation is that cross-subdomain tracking is no longer possible. In this case, however, we offer the possibility of setting a first-party cookie on the server side for recognition, which requires minor configurations of the web server.
Tracking with Signalize is therefore not restricted. We are also not the focus of the measures, as we do not merge or share data across providers. Cookie-based ad remarketing, on the other hand, is becoming more and more limited…. Mark Zuckerberg makes it clear how seriously the topic should be taken in the area of online advertising by proclaiming: “The future is private”.
The future of remarketing
Not only have browser manufacturers declared war on cross-domain profiling, but official bodies, whether the German Data Protection Conference (DSK) or the European Data Protection Committee (EDSA), have also taken a clear position on legally compliant tracking. Whether only with explicit consent à la “I agree to my data being transmitted to Facebook and Google so that I can be found again via their services and reached with tailored advertising” or only short-term reminders of abandoned shopping carts: Ad remarketing will only be possible to a significantly limited extent in the future.
This is why the company’s own communication channels and the direct line to its own users are becoming increasingly important. Currently, there is still a lot of potential in e-mail and direct mailings as well as in web and mobile push that companies can exploit. This applies both to the targeted collection of opt-ins and to the possibilities of personalized and behavior-triggered targeting. The key is to position ourselves correctly now and make adjustments to take advantage of opportunities or offset negative effects.
Our tip
If you don’t already have Signalize up and running, get started now with remarketing and marketing automation via browser notifications. This means you are relying on a channel that fits perfectly with today’s communication and implements “privacy by design” of browsers by default.
