Have you noticed a change in the cookie notices since May 25, 2018? Hopefully, you have been pleasantly surprised by some of them. Good examples abound these days. The ideal model usually asks if you want functional cookies, some tracking cookies for the immediate transaction, or more extensive cookies that are linked to advertisers. Less than 5 clicks to see and agree on preferences and get on with your activity.
So why do we still get told to accept cookies in order to progress? Or given an instruction to log into a website to change preferences. Or on going to such a site, find over 200 advertisers names each of which must be deselected by a click?
Maybe you are a cheerful and an extrovert personality, who enjoys putting it “out there” and likes the targeted advertising and offers. For you the changes may have slowed you down as you dash from internet shop to shop, but hopefully not much.
Or have you subsided into a state of browbeaten acceptance that you really have no choice, cookies are ubiquitous, and you don’t believe those clicks are turning anything off in any case?
There is a case to be made that good practice with cookies matters. Trust matters. A significant minority of active internet users likes to have that control and will use it. More than that, they choose to avoid services where they don’t think they are treated fairly. This shows up in abandoned transactions, short site visits, or time spent on a site peering round the cookie notices but not touching the selection “x” to accept anything. It is commonly recognized that part of the appeal of Apple products is the higher trust placed in their privacy offer.
A good practice is already visible in the marketplace and it is still evolving. There will be new and better notices and selection options. There will also be improvement notices and sanctions from the ICO for some companies who fail to follow the law, who lie to their customers or manipulate them.
Good practice will protect you from sanctions, it will build the trust between you and the customers and is the first two-way interaction between you and a new prospect. If you go on to a sale or another transaction, then you will have plenty of data about them that it is legal to hold. If you treat that cookie notice as a way to publish your principles and demonstrate your respect for the customer and their privacy, that will be a good start to a long-term relationship. To learn more about our solutions please feel free to reach out to me at patricia.evans@capgemini.com.
Authored by: Patricia Evans