Marketing Strategies : Digital marketers are facing the imminent disappearance of cookies, a process that will fully impact the strategies they have traditionally used to get to know customers and focus their campaigns.
For decades, cookies have been the main tools used by companies to collect data from Internet users, but this formula has become annoying both for consumers and for some large Internet companies, such as Google, who support their disappearance. This will generate enormous changes in many digital business models, which will have to find new sources of information to focus their marketing and advertising strategies, in search of tools that allow them to personalize their offers and attract customers.
Automation and digital marketing specialist at Cheetah Digital, the expert delves into the changes that will come with the eventual disappearance of cookies, which will begin next year. She explains that in this new reality, companies must adapt to the expectations of consumers, who are looking for a consistent experience, regardless of whether they interact with the brand in the store or in online channels. They want messages that are based on their purchase history, that their data is used without causing them discomfort and serves to offer them truly personalized content and offers, and not to overwhelm them with annoying third-party marketing campaigns based on data that they have not knowingly shared.
Digital Consumer Trends Index
By Cheetah Digital, 55% of consumers are comfortable sharing data with a brand if they get better service in return. For this reason, and given that it has been shown that customers respond very well to discounts, coupons, loyalty points, and other reward models, companies must explore these paths if they want to adapt to a digital business without cookies.
What seems clear is that the model of collecting data without Internet users knowing what they are, to whom they are sold, and what they are for is disappearing, and the formulas of having to accept or reject cookies every time you enter a web generate massive rejection. This is making consumers pay more attention to how brands have designed their interaction model, and they value better those that provide a more consistent, comfortable, secure, and transparent experience in relation to the data they handle.
Therefore, those companies that offer a bad experience or that do not know how to adapt to the new reality could lose customers at an unsustainable rate. This creates significant challenges for marketing leaders, who are faced with the need to meet customer demand for more personalization while facing increased privacy restrictions. Those responsible for this report explain that to prosper they need to sell each individual “with authenticity, relevance and precision”, for which it is necessary to completely change the mentality. Therefore, in their report they have included what they consider to be the five ways to survive a future without cookies:
Abandon data rental
In this new reality, companies must strive to build their own database, for which they need to deploy a solid collection strategy that focuses on obtaining relevant information while respecting privacy. And, for this, they must offer incentives that convince users of the benefits of voluntarily providing data, something that must be done with the utmost transparency.
Right products for the right customers
Consumers are expecting brands to offer immediate digital interactions that are truly relevant to them, and they believe that the company must know them and show them how well you understand their interests and needs. To achieve this, companies must develop a unique vision for each client that encompasses their specific preferences, providing knowledge that allows them to generate attractive experiences regardless of the channel used.
Loyalty initiatives
While not all brands need to create a loyalty program, they do need to provide some form of value exchange with customers. By achieving well-executed interactions across all channels, consumers develop a connection with the brand that translates into more sales and greater brand loyalty.
Know the rules of participation
On average, consumers interact with brands through six different touchpoints, with half of them regularly using more than four. Therefore, it is vital that companies know perfectly the interaction preferences of each client to improve their experience and strengthen relationships.
Generate attraction
When you get a customer to participate in a loyalty program it is vital to make an effort to encourage transactions. For this, their behavior in relation to the brand must be rewarded and it is very important to carry out adequate loyalty management that maintains the attraction of the client.
Adapting to this new digital business reality requires companies to take an entirely different approach. To begin with, they need to be aware that they need to develop the data collection strategy from scratch. Consumers must be able to explain their preferences in detail and completely voluntarily, without intermediaries and without the company having to guess what might be of interest to them. Ultimately, this translates into more accurate and higher quality information that will allow us to provide experiences better adapted to their tastes and with a greater impact on sales and long-term loyalty.
But these preferences are changing, so you must continue to collect and analyze the information provided by consumers to always be up to date. Experts say that when you know people well, you can sell them more and better, which constantly generates new opportunities. And they support this claim with data from their research, where 44% of consumers are likely to become regular shoppers, and 32% are likely to leave a positive review after a personalized shopping experience.
