How affiliate managers and marketers can navigate Google’s cookie U-turn

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There’s never a dull day in affiliate marketing, especially when you have digital powerhouses like Google making a complete U-turn on its decision to phase out third-party cookies. Yes, you read that right. Google has announced that instead of phasing out third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, it will instead introduce new privacy features. These privacy features will allow users to control their cookie settings more granularly.

So, does that mean all the preparation the affiliate marketing industry did for a cookie-less world was for nought? Why has Google made this decision? How will this affect affiliates and affiliate managers moving forward?

This week’s newsletter is all about answering these questions, providing some clarity and easing any concerns the news has raised.

Why did Google change its plans?

Numerous factors contributed to Google’s announcement, the main ones being feedback from advertisers, publishers and regulatory bodies. Despite a move that has been years in the making, when it finally comes to it, the cookie will not crumble. There were concerns that the phase-out could potentially cause further privacy risks and unfairly benefit the search giant’s own advertising business.

While the details are still being released, it’s understood that Google will now introduce a user-choice prompt, allowing users to choose whether to retain third-party cookies.

What are the implications for affiliate programs?

Third-party cookies have long been a cornerstone of digital advertising. That is why the looming phase-out has been so prominent in affiliate managers’ minds. Without third-party cookies, there were concerns that measuring the performance of affiliate marketing campaigns accurately would prove to be much more difficult. How is Google’s shift to greater user control going to impact this?

Well, the good news is that affiliates will be able to continue relying on established tracking methods. This will have affiliate managers breathing a sigh of relief as accurate tracking ensures affiliates are properly rewarded for their efforts.?

However, it’s important to keep in mind that Google is not abandoning its Privacy Sandbox entirely. It’s likely a hybrid approach will be introduced where cookies coexist with enhanced privacy tools.?

The overall takeaway is that affiliate managers now have the opportunity to optimise their strategies without the immediate pressure of transitioning to alternative tracking methods. Gaining back this stability provides more breathing room to test first-data party strategies and enhanced privacy measures.

What are the implications for affiliates?

Affiliates will probably welcome this news the most considering how heavily they rely on tracking and targeted ads to drive conversion. For now, affiliates will be able to maintain their current data-driven strategies without interruption. This means any fear of earning dips has been replaced by confidence in maintaining performance and revenue levels.?

Just like affiliate managers, affiliates have now been granted more time to prepare for a gradual transition. However, affiliates (and affiliate managers for that matter) shouldn’t stop their proactive efforts. If anything this U-turn has only proven how quickly things can change in the affiliate marketing game.

It’s still important for those in the affiliate marketing world to invest in building robust first-party data capabilities. Staying informed, testing new tools and enhancing transparency should always be a focus but no more than during a monumental shift like this one.?

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