With less than a year until Google disables cookies, 63% of marketers still lack a clear plan for cookieless personalization

LONDON, UK - 8 December 2023 – Despite Google’s announcement that it will begin phasing out support for third-party cookies in Chrome at the beginning of 2024, 63% of marketers still have no clear strategy for cookieless personalization. That’s according to a survey from Optimizely that highlights the urgent need for marketers to reassess their personalization strategies for 2024.

The research, which surveyed 100 UK marketing professionals across the UK, found that more than half (54%) also lack a clearly defined strategy for personalization using first-party data. This indicates a critical gap in preparation for the post-cookie era, where personalized experiences will rely heavily on direct user interactions. 

Currently, 83% or marketers feel that their current personalization efforts are primarily based on assumptions about customers rather than data-driven insights. To prepare for the future, marketers will need to reevaluate their personalization technologies and transition from using third-party cookies to utilizing first- and zero-party data.    

This shift will require brands to securely manage and use the data that customers provide, which most marketers feel they can prepare for. The survey revealed that 73% of marketers believe privacy and personalization can coexist – suggesting a growing awareness within the industry of the need to balance tailored experiences with robust privacy measures. 

What is troubling, however, is that 74% of marketers express concerns about the obsolescence of their current personalization technology – signalling the need for more reliable and privacy-conscious first-party data-based platforms.

Commenting on the findings, Shafqat Islam, CMO at Optimizely said: “With Google set to abandon cookies next year, now is the time for marketers to stop thinking in terms of third-party data, and start building campaigns and strategies around the data that consumers are open to sharing. 

“Right now, 70% of marketers are combining multiple technologies to achieve their current level of personalization. Having a single platform that integrates with – and brings data in from – each channel a brand has is critical in developing comprehensive customer identities and creating personalized experiences based on those real-time insights. Making these changes now will ensure brands are prepared for a cookieless future and are able to deliver the digital experiences that customers have come to expect.” 

To learn more about personalization with Optimizely, visit https://www.optimizely.com/personalization/