Brands while the “cookie” crumbles!

I was going through a 2022 trends report by LoyaltyLion which highlighted that this is now an era of “Opt-Out” with the recent changes around cookies and IOS and updates.

With the growth that the world has seen in the adoption of Big Data and IoT, businesses are now in a better position to make evidence-based data-driven decisions. Seamless integrations and the ability to analyse trends more granularly has had a tremendous impact on the service offering.

However, this has also led to an increased awareness amongst consumers that their favourite brands are collecting their personal data….A lot of personal data. This has led to increased concerns around privacy and how this data is being used.

All applications and websites that rely on third-party cookies to personalize their ads and services will have to change their marketing approach dramatically.

Personally in my opinion brands will now need to focus on leveraging their existing strengths and building on them by -

* Seamless integration. With the right tech stack, a business can achieve wonders. Remember the tech needs to work for you and not the other way round. Many times businesses are so heavily reliant on the features and capabilities that they have in a particular solution that they fail to update or keep an eye on the market and what’s available for them to optimise their business.

* Personalised experiences. This is a big consideration for brands to ensure they are building a relevant and authentic customer experience that builds engagement and connection. Nosto is a great solution for personalisation.

* Create a community. This needs to be based on the brand purpose and alignment of your audience and segments. Businesses need to create a community of advocates and resonate with them by going the extra mile. We need to care about more than just the $ value and look at initiatives around sustainability, inclusivity, diversity etc. Yotpo is a good example.

Authentic connections are the key.