After multiple delays, Google Chrome no longer intends to deprecate third-party cookies, instead empowering users to determine their cookie preferences on an individual basis. While Google’s updated approach won’t broadly inhibit performance-based partnerships, each user will still have the option to eliminate third-party cookies from their browsing experiences–a setting that makes persistent, accurate affiliate marketing tracking impossible. Further, Google’s efforts to prioritize privacy of their users will continue to evolve, and it’s not too early for marketers to proactively safeguard their tracking mechanisms.
Despite Google’s announcement, the importance of getting your affiliate tracking in order remains unchanged due to:
- Cookie blocking across leading browsers. Safari and Firefox have already released cookie-blocking technology that targets both third-party cookies and, more recently, first-party cookies. While Google Chrome has global usership of nearly 64%, this still leaves a significant amount of risk for capturing user activity across other major browsers.
- Chrome’s user-level privacy settings. By putting the power to accept or decline cookies at the user level, accurate attribution in Google Chrome will vary based on the preferences of individuals. Therefore, marketers that have not yet eliminated reliance on cookies are already at risk for broken, inaccurate tracking despite a broader third-party cookie deprecation strategy by Google.
- Evolving changes across browsers. Although Google Chrome won’t immediately deprecate third-party cookies, their efforts to provide privacy to users while supporting a collaborative environment for performance marketers continues which could, once again, change their approach to cookies in the future. Therefore, proactively safeguarding tracking as their user experience evolves is critical to accurate, persistent tracking.
Partnerize continues to support advertisers in future-proofing their tracking with a range of best-in-class of tracking solutions–optionality that allow marketers to meet the needs of their unique businesses when it comes to level of technical implementation effort, control over the consumer experience, and ongoing reliance on development resources.
Learn more about how Partnerize ensures accurate, persistent tracking amidst evolving browser changes on our hub, Preparing for a Cookie-less Future.