How to Use First-Party Cookies To Improve Your Online Business

In the evolving landscape of digital privacy, first-party cookies have become increasingly important for online businesses. As third-party cookies phase out due to privacy concerns and regulations, first-party cookies offer a way to gather valuable user data while respecting user privacy. 

Here we will explore how you can leverage first-party cookies to enhance your online business, improve user experience and drive better marketing results. Neither the browser nor the marketer needs to see cookies as something suspicious if you apply them correctly, with the correct intentions.

Understanding First-Party Cookies

Before diving into strategies, it’s crucial to understand what first-party cookies are.

First-party cookies are small text files created and stored on a user’s device by the website they’re visiting. Unlike third-party cookies, which are set by domains other than the one the user is visiting, first-party cookies are owned by you, the website owner, and collect data directly from your users during their interactions with your site.

The benefits of First-Party Cookies are:

1. Enhanced user privacy
2. Improved data accuracy
3. Longer lifespan than third-party cookies
4. Not blocked by most browsers or ad-blockers

Now we will examine how to use first-party cookies effectively.

1. Personalise User Experience

One of the primary uses of first-party cookies is to create a personalised experience for your website visitors. This is how it is done:

• Remembering user preferences: Storing settings like language preference, currency or theme choices.
• Customising content: Displaying personalised product recommendations or content based on browsing history.
• Streamlining navigation: Remembering items in shopping carts or recently viewed products.

Implementation tip: Use cookies to store non-sensitive user preferences.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “preferredLanguage=en; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

2. Improve Website Performance

First-party cookies can help optimise your website’s performance. They do this by:

• Load balancing: Distributing traffic across servers more efficiently by remembering which server a user was previously connected to.
• Caching: Storing certain elements locally to reduce load times on subsequent visits.
• Session managing: Keeping users logged in and maintaining session information.

Implementation tip: Use cookies to store session IDs securely.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “sessionID=abc123; expires=Session; path=/; Secure; HttpOnly”;

3. Enhance Analytics and Tracking

First-party cookies provide valuable data for analytics, by:

• Tracking user behaviour: Monitoring how users navigate your site, which pages they visit and how long they stay.
• Measuring conversion paths: Understanding the journey users take before converting.
• Attributing sales: Properly attributing conversions to the correct marketing channels.

Implementation tip: Integrate first-party cookie data with your analytics platform. Many analytics tools, like Google Analytics 4, are shifting towards first-party data collection.

4. Implement Cross-Device Tracking

As users switch between devices, first-party cookies can help maintain a consistent experience. They can be used for:

• Recognising users across devices: When users log in on different devices, you can link their activity.
• Continuing user journeys: Enabling users to pick up where they left off, even if they have switched from mobile to desktop.

Implementation tip: Use a unique identifier in your cookies which can be associated with a user account.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “userID=user12345; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

5. Personalise Marketing Efforts

First-party data collected through cookies can significantly enhance your marketing, through means such as:

• Segmentation: Helping you create more accurate user segments based on behaviour and preferences.
• Targeted advertising: Using first-party data to create lookalike audiences for ad platforms.
• Email marketing: Enabling you to personalise email content based on website interactions.

Implementation tip: Integrate your first-party cookie data with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and marketing automation tools.

6. Optimise A/B Testing

First-party cookies can improve your A/B testing efforts by providing:

• A consistent user experience: Ensuring users see the same version of a test across multiple visits.
• More accurate results: By recognising returning visitors, you can avoid skewing test results.

Implementation tip: Use a cookie to store the version of the test a user has been assigned to.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “abTestVersion=B; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

7. Implement Frequency Capping

You can control how often users see certain elements on your site by:

• Limiting pop-ups: Avoiding annoying users by showing pop-ups too frequently.
• Managing promotional offers: Ensuring users don’t see the same offer repeatedly.

Implementation tip: Use a cookie to track when a user last saw a particular element.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “lastPopupShow=1623456789; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

8. Enhance Customer Support

First-party cookies can assist in providing better customer support in a number of ways, such as:

• Pre-filling support forms: Using stored information to populate fields in support tickets.
• Providing context: Giving customer support agents insight into a user’s recent activities on your site.

Implementation tip: Store non-sensitive user data which could be helpful for support interactions.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “lastPurchaseDate=2023-06-01; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

9. Implement Dynamic Pricing

First-party cookies can be used to implement sophisticated pricing strategies, such as:

• Personalised discounts: Offering tailored discounts based on user behaviour.
• Geo-based pricing: Adjusting prices based on a user’s location.

Implementation tip: Be transparent about your pricing practices to maintain trust with your customers.

10. Improve Form Handling

First-party cookies can also streamline form submissions by:

• Auto-filling forms: Non-sensitive information can be recorded to save users time on repeat visits.
• Enabling multi-step forms: Creating multi-step forms gives users the opportunity to save their progress and return later.

Implementation tip: Only store non-sensitive information, and always provide an option for users to clear saved data.

11. Enhance Content Recommendations

Improve your content recommendation engine by:

• Tracking content consumption: Monitoring which articles or products users have viewed.
• Personalising recommendations: Suggesting content based on user interests and browsing history.

Implementation tip: Use cookies to store the content IDs of viewed items.

javascript

Copy

document.cookie = “recentlyViewed=article123,product456; expires=Thu, 18 Dec 2023 12:00:00 UTC; path=/”;

12. Implement User Scoring

You can use cookies to develop a user scoring system to identify high-value prospects, by taking the following steps:

• Tracking engagement: Assigning points for various actions (page views, downloads, etc.).
• Personalising outreach: Tailoring your marketing efforts based on user scores.

Implementation tip: Store the user score in a cookie and update it with each relevant action.

Best Practices for Using First-Party Cookies

When implementing these strategies, keep these best practices in mind:

1. Transparency: Clearly communicate your cookie usage in your privacy policy and cookie consent banner.
2. User control: Provide options for users to manage their cookie preferences.
3. Data security: Encrypt sensitive data stored in cookies and use the Secure flag for HTTPS.
4. Compliance: Ensure your cookie practices comply with relevant regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
5. Regular audits: Periodically review your cookie usage to ensure you’re only collecting necessary data.
6. Expiration dates: Set appropriate expiration dates for your cookies to avoid storing outdated information.
7. Backup strategies: Have alternative methods for essential functionalities in case users block cookies.

Conclusion

First-party cookies offer a powerful way to improve your online business while respecting user privacy. By leveraging them effectively you can enhance user experience, optimise your marketing efforts and gain valuable insights into your audience’s behaviour. 

The key to successful first-party cookie implementation is to prioritise user privacy and provide value in exchange for the data you collect. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, businesses which master the use of first-party data will have a significant advantage in creating personalised, effective online experiences for their users.