What cookies are there?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies are small bits of information that are stored in your browser when you visit a Web site. They help the website remember things like your language preference, what you put in your shopping cart or what you filled out in a form. These cookies make the Web site work optimally and give you a better experience while browsing. They do not store any personal information and are only used to make the website function properly.

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Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies help website owners understand how people use their website. They collect data on relevant parts of the visitor journey such as how often people visit certain pages, what interactions they have with the site, how long they stay on a page, and from which channels visitors come to the site. This information helps owners improve the Web site, such as knowing which content is popular or which pages cause the most dropouts.

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Marketing cookies

Marketing cookies are used to create a digital profile of you when you visit a Web site. These cookies are also present on other websites you visit that allow marketing platorms to see exactly what you do on different sites. Based on that, marketing platforms can show you targeted ads or offers based on your interests and visitor behavior, even if you are on a completely different website. So, for example, if you search for a particular product in a Web shop and later see it again on other sites, that has been the work of marketing cookies.

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Performance cookies

Performance cookies are essential for improving the experience on a Web site. They collect information about how the site is used, such as which pages are visited frequently and whether you encounter error messages. This data is used to make the Web site more efficient and user-friendly. Various analytics tools use performance cookies to discover where improvements are needed so that the site functions better and better and visitors have an enjoyable user experience. Performance cookies are very similar to analytical cookies, but are only used for site improvement where analytical cookies have more capabilities.

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First-party cookies and third-party cookies

All of the above cookies explained are forms of first-party & third-party cookies. First-party cookies are from the domain itself. They are set by the website you visit and are only read by that website. They help the website remember your preferences and actions, such as your login information or products in your shopping cart.

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Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are set by domains other than the website you are visiting, such as advertising networks, social media companies or analytics platforms. These cookies track your behavior across websites and collect information about your browsing habits. They are often used for personalized advertising, measuring the reach of marketing campaigns, and collecting data about your online activities. Most of the privacy concerns surrounding cookies involve these third-party cookies, because they can track you across multiple websites without your always having given conscious consent. Browsers increasingly offer options to block or limit third-party cookies, while first-party cookies remain mostly allowed because they are often necessary for websites to function.

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In the visualization below, you can see what this difference looks like for a physical store. When you walk around in a physical store and put a blue shirt in your shopping cart, about ten cameras turn your way and note down exactly what's in your cart. That way Meta, TikTok, Google ads, etc., among others, know exactly what you are interested in.

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With firtst-party tracking, there is a private "camera" in the store that is managed by the owner of the physical store. This way, outside parties cannot see exactly what you are interested in. The store owner is then responsible for collecting visitor data, and sharing this collected data with the third parties as long as they have been given permission to do so in the cookie banner.

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Want more information about firtst and third-party cookies? Or are you curious how we can help you install Server-Side Tagging so you can hang your own camera in your (online) store? Then schedule an appointment. Curious about how your website scores based on your current tracking setup? Request a free tracking report.

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