It is critical to begin monitoring consent management as part of your digital analytics strategy. Apart from the EU, numerous privacy regulations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other locations require you to alert users about the use of cookies, either through your privacy policy or an opt-out banner, if any personal information is gathered.
Users are becoming more conscious of their privacy rights, and they are opting out of monitoring cookies at an unprecedented rate. Without a strong permission process that allows users to accept analytics cookies, you risk missing vital insights into user activity. What are the consequences? Major companies such as Adobe and Google will not receive event data without approval. It is time to act.
Choosing the appropriate tools
Implementing consent does not have to be frightening. Finding a third-party application that works with your content management system is not difficult. From WordPress to Shopify, there is a solution for you. However, don’t just settle; establish flawless interaction with your analytics platform to maximize productivity.
Take the time to investigate and pick the best tool for your needs. Make sure it works with your analytics solution. Some are compatible with both Google Analytics and Adobe, while others are intended to operate just with one. If you are using a different analytics tool, contact your provider for assistance.
Remember that, while some alternatives are free, the majority of them require payment. Fees vary greatly based on the number of pages on your website, the number of domains (including subdomains), and visitor volume. When making your decision, take into account extra factors such as continuous assistance. After all, investing in the appropriate tool today will save you hassles in the future.
Implementation Considerations
An implementation plan is required. Consider the user’s preferences for which cookies they accept. Ensure that your tag management system appropriately reads the user’s consent options. Determine which events can be tracked using your analytics management software.
For example, if the user disables marketing cookies, you will be unable to run any tracking pixel code scripts provided by your ad platform (Google Ads, Meta, etc.). Conversion pixels cannot be used since they report user behavior to third-party ad companies.
If you’re unsure about obtaining permission from users because you believe it’s unnecessary, consider the following: Many users now disable cookies, so can you really trust the data you obtain from analytics?
For example, with Google Analytics 4, if you properly configure V2 Consent and your website has enough visitors, your data may be improved by a feature called Data Modeling (but users must select this option in their preferences). This means that Google Analytics uses modeled data to fill in the blanks of user behavior on your site (with the exception of transactional data and other aspects).
Addressing concerns and misconceptions.
Implementing consent may be overwhelming, especially if you are concerned about losing certain analytics data or the accuracy of your reports. However, it is a step toward a more open and trustworthy relationship with your customers.
Concerned about data accuracy? Consider this: Despite a modest reduction in precision, your analytics data remains a strong tool for informed decision-making.
First, think about how exact your data was before implementing consent. No third-party analytics software is 100% accurate. However, most firms have treated this data as if it is.
How often have you attempted to reconcile the data reported by your ad platform for ad clicks with the data gathered and reported in your digital analytics software? Have you ever reconciled these figures to 100%? The answer is “no.”
Analytics data has always been a sample of data analyzed using various computations to provide insights into user behavior. Typically, for the past 15 years or so (since the widespread adoption of analytics cookies), the data sampling rate has fluctuated between 90 and 98%. At the low end of 90%, this means that the data is correct within 0.5% 19 times out of 20.
If you are concerned about the decline in accuracy, consider this: U.S. Presidential polls sample a small percentage (between 700 and 3,000 out of 161 million eligible voters), but they drive important policy decisions with an accuracy of +/- 5% nine times out of ten. Despite a minor decrease in accuracy, analytics data remains incredibly valuable and a potent tool for informed decision-making.
According to our data, no more than 10% of people opt out of cookies, and the figure is frequently less than 5%. This suggests that 80% to 90% of all site visitors still allow analytics cookies (tracking). This smaller sample size results in an error rate of less than 1% 19 times out of 20. Previously, the mistake rate was no higher than 0.5%. So the difference is negligible.
Simply implement consent.
Create a robust consent option for your users. This decision has little negative impact and opens the door to intriguing new possibilities, such as GA4 and advanced data modeling.