Data privacy regulators affect how website owners and online businesses store and collect their cookie consent from website visitors. Every time you visit a website, you will see a request claiming that you need to deny or accept cookie usage.
Cookies are used to personalize content, provide additional features, and analyze website traffic.
However, why should you care about them so much?
Let’s dive deeper into this article to find out.
What is cookie consent?
Cookie consent is how each online store and website legally processes personal data from visitors. Through cookie collection, website owners share information about how users navigate sites, advertise and combine the information they collect and use.
For instance, many might need clarification on the conception made by the cookie consent script GDPR, thinking it only applies to EU territories or companies. Still, the truth is that it protects EU citizens from all across the world.
4 Reasons you should worry about cookie consent if you are an online retailer
You need to comply with data privacy regulators
Each country worldwide has its own data privacy policies, but the more strict rules apply in California and the European Union. Initially, the GDPR requires all websites to collect cookies in the most transparent way possible. This accounts for all citizens of the EU and those who do business within its boundaries. Cookies should all be blocked until users choose whether they should activate them or not.
Alternatively, we have the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which requires websites that have users from the local area to be fully transparent with their cookie usage and offer it as a choice whether to accept them or not. In other words, this term is called “Prior Consent.”
The GDPR and CCPA will require you to provide them with detailed cookie policies and allow them to accept or decline them while entering the website.
Consumers want more freedom with cookie consent
For the past several years, people are becoming more aware of cookies, misuse of personal data and tracking information. 61% of users claimed that they always accepted cookies when they visited a website, but many users still didn’t. Many users will leave a brand if it doesn’t respect their boundaries and this isn’t something you want to happen, especially if you are an online retailer.
A late 2020 study by Mckinsey claimed that more than 70% of consumers in North America would stop doing business with someone if they used their personal information without authorization.
In other words, not offering users control over their data is a sign of disrespect for privacy rights and violates current data privacy laws. Moreover, not only does it damage your business reputation in the long term (which is crucial for an online retailer), but it’ll also lose consumer trust and relations. This isn’t something you want to happen when you own an online business.
It helps online shoppers navigate through an eCommerce website
Let’s suppose numerous people from California are browsing through the same website simultaneously. When the CCPA banner appears to all users, some accept it and some don’t. The people who accepted the cookies will have a much better user experience than those who didn’t. However, the ones who declined them could encounter several issues when using the website.
Cookies, especially when you have an online shop, allow website owners to keep track of the items online buyers add to their carts while browsing the site. Once buyers disable cookies, the items they added to their shopping carts will disappear.
Therefore, cookies must be added to a site. You are an online retailer, so this information is important to you, but you need to inform users that you are following the law and that their information won’t be misused in any case.
The online economy is heading toward cookie consent
Acknowledging the fact that users want more control over their personal data, Google has recently launched a Consent Mode that will allow sites to run their most preferred services based on end-user consent.
However, keep in mind that other browsers have blocked third-party cookies for a while. Google hasn’t done so yet, but it has claimed that by 2024, it’ll no longer be supporting them on Google Chrome.
This is a new trend in the adtech industry, making the online economy make a new shift and changing the game forever.
Do the rules differ in each region?
Of course! Every region in the world has its own rules. However, you need to keep something in mind. If you are from another continent other than the EU and have an online business in an EU country, you still have to comply with the GDPR. This is because the GDPR doesn’t apply to a region, but it does to its EU citizens, regardless of the area they are living in.
Way you perceive it, each data privacy law seeks to protect its users and that’s why you should read carefully before doing business.
The final cutdown
Each country has its own privacy policy, but never forget if you are required to follow the CCPA or GDPR because they not only have strict rules against sites that don’t respect privacy regulations, they’ll make you pay hefty fines if you fail to comply.
If you find it challenging to keep up with privacy regulations, you can always hire a privacy data specialist to inform you of the latest updates made.
About the author:
Tony Ademi is a freelance SEO content and copywriter. He has been in the writing industry for three years and has managed to write hundreds of SEO-optimized articles. Moreover, he has written articles that have ranked #1 on Google. Tony’s primary concern when writing an article is to do research and ensure that the reader is engaged until the end.
