👋 Websites use cookies to store information about visitors and personalize their experience. There are several types of cookies, the best known of which are third-party cookies. Here we describe how these cookies work, and anticipate regulatory and technological developments concerning them.

The benefits of cookies

Cookies are used by websites to store information about visitors and their preferences. They can be used to personalize a user's experience, by recording their preferences for a given web page. Cookies can also be used to track user behavior over time and thus improve a website's performance.

☝ There are 2 types of browser storage: local storage and cookies. While cookies can be read on the server side, this is not the case for local storage.

How cookies work

Cookies are stored on the user's browser and can be read by the web server or tracker each time a page is requested.

This technology is used to facilitate various functions, including :

  • Record user activity
  • Store state data such as items you have added to your shopping cart
  • Keep data previously entered in forms
  • Save user preferences
  • Activate retargeting ads

Cookie categories

🍪 There are two types of cookies: proprietary (or 1st-party) cookies, set by the website itself, and third-party (or 3rd-party) cookies, set by third-party services and which can be read by the latter.
Type
🍪 1st party
🍪 3rd party
Description
First-party cookies are stored by the websites you visit directly, enabling them to collect analytical data, remember language settings and perform other useful functions that contribute to a smoother, more personalized user experience.
Third-party cookies are created by websites other than the one you are visiting. They are used to track users across different sites, display targeted advertising based on the products or services they have consulted, and collect detailed information about users' interests, browsing habits, hobbies or preferences.
Who?
The website you are visiting
Another website
Where?
On the same website
On several websites
Why?
To improve customer experience or site tracking
To track you and show you ads or detect conversions
Taking charge?
All browsers
All browsers, but some block them by default
Examples
Session cookie, language cookie, shopping cart cookie, Google Analytics
Tracking cookies, cookies from social networks and advertising agencies
⚖️ The main privacy issue concerns third-party cookies, as they enable third parties to track a user and collect information about his or her behavior on other sites.

Use of third-party cookies :

  • Embedded content from other sites, such as videos, maps, code samples and social network posts.
  • Widgets for external services such as payments, calendars, reservations and booking functions.
  • Page resources such as <img> or <script>which rely on cookie information to be sent with a request (commonly used for conversion tracking pixels or tracking pixels used by advertising agencies).

Cookies used to improve attribution

Google and Meta use cookies to identify the browser and collect clicks, which is essential for attributing conversions.

It's important to note that these cookies are not third-party cookies, but are set by your own domain, which means they won't be affected by Chrome updates.

However, the stability of the placement and lifetime of these cookies may be compromised on other browsers for several reasons: they are placed using JavaScript, a tracker is present in the URL, or they are deployed from a server with an IP address significantly different from that of your site.

☝🏻 One way of extending the life of these cookies is to opt for server-side tracking. This approach enables first-party data to be sent and, ultimately, more conversions to be attributed to your advertising campaigns.

The end of the third-party cookie?

  • Privacy by design is a fundamental trend adopted by all browsers
  • Google has announced that it will phase out third-party cookies on Chrome from 2024 in response to this trend
  • The impact on advertising agencies is significant
  • It's time to explore alternatives to third-party cookies, including setting server-side cookies, like 3rd-party tags, or relying on 1st-party collection for better data control.

A need, a question?
‍
Write to us at hello@starfox-analytics.com.
Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Contents
Post Tab Link
Post Tab Link
Written by:
Edouard de Joussineau

An expert in CRO, Web Analytics and Product Management for over 10 years, Edouard founded Starfox Analytics in 2021. Passionate about wine, Formula 1 and aviation,

Find Edouard de Joussineau on LinkedIn

Follow Starfox Analytics on Linkedin so you don't miss a thing.