Despite Google’s announcement that it will begin phasing out support for third-party cookies in Chrome at the beginning of 2024, 63 per cent of marketers still have no clear strategy for cookieless personalisation. That’s according to a survey from Optimizely that highlights the urgent need for marketers to reassess their personalisation strategies for 2024.
The research surveyed 100 UK marketing professionals across the UK and found that more than half (54 per cent) also lack a clearly defined strategy for personalisation using first-party data. This indicates a critical gap in preparation for the post-cookie era, where personalised experiences will rely heavily on direct user interactions.
83 per cent of marketers feel that their personalisation efforts are primarily based on assumptions about customers rather than data-driven insights. To prepare for the future, marketers will need to re-evaluate their personalisation technologies and transition from using third-party cookies to utilising first- and zero-party data.
This shift will require brands to securely manage and use the data that customers provide, which most marketers feel they can prepare for. The survey revealed that 73 per cent of marketers believe privacy and personalisation can coexist – suggesting a growing awareness within the industry of the need to balance tailored experiences with robust privacy measures.
However, 74 per cent of marketers express concerns about the obsolescence of their current personalisation technology – signalling the need for more reliable and privacy-conscious first-party data-based platforms.
Commenting on the findings, Shafqat Islam, CMO at Optimizely said: “With Google set to abandon cookies next year, now is the time for marketers to stop thinking in terms of third-party data, and start building campaigns and strategies around the data that consumers are open to sharing.
“Right now, 70 per cent of marketers are combining multiple technologies to achieve their current level of personalisation. Having a single platform that integrates with – and brings data in from – each channel a brand has is critical in developing comprehensive customer identities and creating personalised experiences based on those real-time insights. Making these changes now will ensure brands are prepared for a cookieless future and are able to deliver the digital experiences that customers have come to expect.”
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