With the EU Cookie Directive coming into force, digital marketers and retailers from all areas of the industry are going to have to ensure they comply, while still aiming to gather valuable data on online behaviour. Mark Haviland, MD at Rakuten LinkShare, explains what this means for the industry.
While the EU Cookie Directive has given a few online businesses and marketers headaches over the past year, ultimately the conversation about privacy has been productive. Trust and privacy are paramount and we should all be actively promoting open dialogue and transparent business models.
Shoppers are becoming increasingly discerning online, and the debate has encouraged brands, agencies and other online businesses to assess the quality of marketing they serve to audiences, and the respect they show for privacy.
It’s a call to action to turn data insights into a better online experience, so that consumers want to opt-in, be it implicit or explicit. As an industry, if we want to deliver the tailored and personalised experiences that shoppers increasingly expect, the proper use of data is essential.
We need to continue to collaborate as an industry to educate internet users on how cookie information is used and highlight the value of opting in.
The consumer-oriented web site, Performance Marketing Explained,
http://www.iab-performance-marketing-explained.net/
developed by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is a fantastic step forward, but it doesn’t stop there, we must all ensure we continue to prove the value of this more open retail relationship to consumers and legislators alike.
By Mark Haviland
Managing Director
Rakuten LinkShare
http://www.linkshare.co.uk/