Cookies And The Amazing Targeted Content
How many times you've been browsing on the Internet being Facebook, Instagram, Amazon or whatever other site and found a large variety of products you were looking for without asking for it? Well it turns out you have.
This is a real story I thought it'd be just perfect to tell (and explain) you how amazing cookies and target can work together.
How many times you thought your privacy is being neglect as a customer because sites seems to know your name, email or what you want? The probability is that at least once you felt that way. Like me. And you can either turn off your cookies on all site browsers or Control one by one how it's dealt on your end. It's part of the many countries laws to let you aware that the site will be using your cookies for personalized content, so they will tell you - otherwise, disable it all. But why would you? Here are two simple reasons, even though there are more, of course.
Cookies not only allows A/B (optimization) testing so the companies can offer you always ongoing better user experience, but will save some data to make your life easier - and thanks to cookies that for instance you don't need to login into a website (eg: Facebook) every time you close the browser. It saves the information such session and what pages you've been through - which leads to the second reason.
It's with the cookies that websites can show you personalized or targeted content. So since it knows where you've been and what you've been looking for that you'll find those "Facebook" ads. Yes, it's not out of the blue.
In a nutshell this is what happens on my real story: during the last month or so, I've been looking for a new, high quality and definitive backpack. I've search a lot on Google and websites such Amazon, Dell, Targus, etc, XD-Design, Peak Design, etc. Either the price was too high, wasn't available on my country or I didn't feel it was the right time to buy it - yet -- the cookies knew that I was looking for a new backpack - and what was my preferences (including the gray color).
Since the cookies uses all these stored information from (yours/mine) previous searches in whatever means (websites, social network, etc), it uses it well on my behalf . And now it's backpacks almost everywhere. But is it bad?
Nope. Not.
You see, the image here is from a Facebook ad showing a backpack which lineup offers me all I've been looking for - and yes, including the gray option - and even though I'm still not decided, it keeps me showing other backpack options.
The website basically read through my cookies knowing my search history and it was able to give me more options I haven't been presented at this point yet - and this is thanks to targeted contentor targeted campaign. And again, this is thanks to the cookies which is able to tell the user the options he's been looking for, colors, sizes and everything else.
When the user has cookies enabled (which is by default, by the way), there's a lot of machine learning happening behind the scenes. For basically everything! It knows what you like, searches, most used websites (and for what) and with that, create for you personalized content.
What target also does is to deliver to the user even more personalized content. It knows where you are most of the time (country, city, etc) without you even providing this information. The browser you're using. The device - yeah it's a lot, but it's for good. It's thanks to this that a big marketing is being fed by companies to advertise their products.
On a single example, the "Boundary Supply" pays Facebook, Instagram and other platforms or websites to offer their products for those who are actually looking for - and believe me, a professional on the field: it is never out of the blue!
It's because of (and thanks to) cookies and targeting that when you are on sites like Amazon and Dell that you see similar products you've been looking for (or the last viewed so you don't lose track) on the Home Page. That they know you're currently on Auckland and offer you free shipping on "selected products". Cookies will know you're browsing from Auckland and offer the nearby products with free shipping based on that - or even be able to commit with a 24h delivery just because the system knows that if you complete your purchase by 9 am, the warehouse is close enough from you to make sure that will happen.
Conclusion
Believe me when I say: even though it looks like a privacy breach sometimes, it's not. It's only the cookies running on the background so companies can keep delivering to you, the customer, the best possible experience. Being just for browsing or know new products or to buy something - or eat. Whatever. Really.
Companies are committed to make sure you are being delivered with the best scenarios, experience and/or offers and it's never going to be perfect - but it will be always better and improved - and again, thanks to cookies.
