Businesses that operate online rely on tracking tools to improve and inform marketing efforts and grow their revenue. To do this, multiple components of online tracking are utilized to collect data and gather general information on users. Cookies are small text files placed on devices allowing the host to track online behavior. First-party, third-party, session, and persistent cookies are all different types of this technology. Each operates uniquely to track data usage if the user enables them. Further, a tag, also known as a pixel or web beacon, is a mechanism via which cookies are stored. Information collected includes pages viewed, products purchased, and how a user accessed a specific website. Post-cookie tracking is becoming the newly adopted method, however.
Privacy in Data Collection
Despite this high level of data collection, there are many privacy regulations that sites must take into consideration when employing these technologies. ePrivacy Directive, a European data protection supervisor, governs the user experience online, cookie usage, and general online tracking. This governing body secures the user’s right to privacy, working hand in hand with General Data Protection and Regulation (GDPR) to give users different data rights and powers. This includes the right to be informed, have access, erasure, object, and many more that gives the user ultimate control on the transfer and sharing of their data.
Specific US states grant users’ rights related to the processing and sharing of their personal information and data. These policies include the Consumer Privacy Act in California, the Privacy Act in Colorado, and the Consumer Data Protection Act in Virginia.
Because of these privacy regulations, there are many challenges that are presented to businesses that rely on information from their users. When too many users refuse to consent to data collection, it becomes harder to gather sufficient data. Therefore, many analytics are considered useless to the company. Heavy fines that businesses may be issued if they do not comply with privacy regulations. Companies like Amazon and Google have taken large financial hits due to various violations.
Adapting Your Data Collection Strategy
There is a new approach to compliance to online privacy laws. But, still while allowing businesses to make the most of the data that they do have access to. This measurement methodology includes collecting data without cookies to maintain anonymity of the user. Also, optimizing proportions of named users by encouraging the creation of a log-in,. Lastly, developing new cookieless measurement capabilities for online platforms. This new privacy-centric method helps marketers in a variety of ways. The most notable way allows for the testing and measurement of the effectiveness of privacy-safe targeting strategies in a more durable way. Given the ever-changing data collection methods within the online community, it is clear that businesses need to invest in solutions that will protect user privacy without sacrificing data quality.
Using these new tactics, it is now possible to harness the true versatility of data in the best way possible. Learn more about how post-cookie tracking can upgrade your analytics strategy below:
Source: InfoTrust
