After 20 years of relying on third-party cookies for internet advertising, the cookiepocolypse is here.
This March, Google confirmed that it would end third-party cookies by 2022, with no alternative to the marketing technology, which tracks users' movements across the internet. Apple, last spring, blocked third-party cookies on Safari.
Though the end of third-party cookie tracking is a big win for consumer privacy, companies that have been reliant on the marketing technology are in for a big adjustment. The transition will be even harder for small companies, which tend to have fewer resources to weather shocks. But there is hope. For companies that can pivot into the collection of first-party data--that is, information collected directly from consumers--the end of third-party cookies won't be as tough to stomach.