Third-party cookies going away: how to prepare your B2B

Data deprecation is the process by which data becomes steadily less usable: third-party cookies are going away, privacy rules get stricter and consumers want more control. For your B2B marketing that means, concretely, that tracking, targeting and attribution become less accurate. The short version: you lose the borrowed data from third parties, so you rebuild your measurability around data you collect yourself and with consent. In this article you will learn what data deprecation exactly is, where it hits you hardest and which steps to take now so you keep steering on customers and revenue.

What exactly is data deprecation?

Data deprecation refers to how data loses its value and becomes less usable as time goes on. In marketing this has been accelerated in recent years by a number of simultaneous shifts. It is not a single switch that gets flipped, but a sum of changes that hollows out your data sources one by one.

Four factors are at play:

• Cookie deprecation: browsers such as Chrome restrict cross-site tracking via third-party cookies, among other things through Google’s Privacy Sandbox.
• Privacy regulation: governments enforce strict rules such as the GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This does not stay on paper: in 2023 Meta received a fine of 390 million euros for collecting and sharing user data (according to reporting on the Irish GDPR fine).
• Walled gardens: big tech companies close off their platforms. Apple, for example, strengthens its privacy features by reining in App Tracking and mail tracking (according to Apple).
• Consumer expectations: people want more grip on their data. According to research by Cisco, 74 percent of people who know their national privacy legislation believe they can protect their personal data.

For those who prefer to read the technology in plain language: in what tracking is we explain how cookies and tags together follow your visitors, and why that foundation is now shifting.

Why are third-party cookies going away?

The loss of third-party cookies is the biggest part of data deprecation. A third-party cookie is a piece of code that one domain places to track behaviour on another domain. Think of the social media buttons under a blog article: those cookies come from the platform, not from your site, and can follow a visitor across the entire web.

Some uses are harmless, but those same cookies also build deep, personal profiles that get resold. Because of privacy and security concerns they are therefore being phased out. Firefox and Safari already block third-party cookies by default, and Chrome has announced the same. Together those three browsers account for more than 86 percent of market share. In other words: you lose virtually every third-party cookie you used to rely on.

That is a big problem, because many teams still lean heavily on them. Research by Adobe shows that 75 percent of advertisers are still strongly dependent on third-party cookies, and that 45 percent of marketers spend at least half of their budget on campaigns built on them. Those who do nothing about it watch their measurability and return slowly slip away.

How does data deprecation affect your B2B marketing?

Data deprecation forces you to rethink how you collect and use customer data. The impact is greatest in three places that are precisely important for B2B.

Targeting and personalisation. In the past, companies used third-party data to recognise users and show targeted ads. Without that browsing and behavioural data, personalisation becomes harder. The only reliable source that remains is data from your own site.

Reporting and KPIs. Without third-party data it becomes harder to correctly calculate figures like return on ad spend. Your advertising reports become less complete, while that is exactly what you steer on to allocate budget.

Attribution across the customer journey. With stricter limits on cross-site and cross-platform sharing it becomes almost impossible to follow how someone moves across the entire customer journey. For B2B, with long sales cycles and multiple touchpoints, that is extra painful. A well-thought-out marketing attribution model helps you keep, with the data you do have, a fair picture of what works.

Important nuance, and exactly where we differ from an average agency: data deprecation is no reason to panic-buy ten tools. If you still have too little traffic or leads, advanced tracking does not pay off yet anyway. Steer first on customers and revenue, not on vanity metrics, and invest in visitors and offer before you rebuild your measurement stack.

Which data does hold up?

The good news: not all cookies disappear, and the data that counts remains available. You shift from borrowed data to data you own yourself. There are roughly two tracks.

First-party cookies and first-party data

First-party cookies are placed by your own site and simply keep working. They remember preferences, keep someone logged in and help you build a smooth experience. Platforms like GA4 run on first-party cookies, so your basic reporting on your own website stays largely intact. What falls away are mainly remarketing and retargeting campaigns, which leaned on third-party data.

The shift is already well underway: a growing share of marketers is actively collecting more first-party data in response to data deprecation. And customers are not necessarily against it. According to research by Segment, 69 percent of customers are positive about personalisation on a website, provided they have deliberately shared their data.

With first-party data you link profiles across website, app and CRM, and you build segments such as visitors of a specific product page or people who did not finish a form. In first-party data we go deeper into how you build this for B2B and tie it to real contacts instead of anonymous profiles.

Cookieless marketing and zero-party data

The second track is marketing without cookies, often fed by zero-party data: information that customers voluntarily provide themselves. The big advantage is compliance, because you only use what someone deliberately shares. Concrete forms:

• Email: if someone gives their address, you have a cheap and direct channel under your own control.
• Contextual advertising: you place your message next to content that fits, instead of next to a tracked profile.
• Cohort audiences: you use patterns of existing customers to reach comparable profiles, without individual tracking.

And do not forget the channels that never depended on third-party cookies: SEO and content marketing simply keep standing.

How do you prepare concretely as a B2B?

Research shows that most teams are not ready yet. Only 33 percent say they are well prepared for the loss of third-party cookies (according to research by Adform and YouGov). And even those who collect data often do not know what to do with it: 82 percent of marketers say they have access to zero-party data, but 42 percent do not know how to use it effectively (according to an independent study reported via Business Wire). Preparation is therefore not about more data, but about the right data and a plan.

That preparation breaks down into five steps that each build on the previous one, from a sober audit of what is falling over to consent as the source of your best data.

A workable approach for a small, fast B2B team:

1. Audit your current cookies. Map where you use third-party cookies and what falls over if they disappear. That way you see your real exposure.
2. Lay down your first-party foundation. Make sure conversion tracking on your own site is properly in place and that your most important actions come in reliably.
3. Choose deliberately what you collect. Determine which first-party data you truly need to steer on customers and revenue, and which alternative sources fill those gaps.
4. Optimise your CRM. Use your CRM to segment customers better, so you can keep working in a targeted way with your own data.
5. Build in trust and consent. Be open about how you use data. The more honest you are, the greater the chance that visitors give consent, and consent will soon be the source of your best data.

If you want to translate this into clear reporting that you actually steer on, a well set-up marketing dashboard helps you keep following your most important KPIs with your own data. Our data analytics service is aimed at exactly that: a measurable foundation that holds up when cookies disappear.

Frequently asked questions about data deprecation

What does data deprecation mean in marketing?

It means that certain data, particularly third-party cookies, gradually becomes unusable due to browser restrictions, privacy rules and user expectations. Browsers like Safari and Firefox already block third-party cookies by default and Chrome follows. The result: targeting, personalisation and attribution become less accurate.

Do I lose all my Google Analytics data?

No. The largest part of your GA4 reporting stays standing, because it runs on first-party data from your own website. What does get hit are advertising reports, multichannel attribution and analyses of the full customer journey, because those lean on third-party data.

Is data deprecation a problem for B2B or mainly for e-commerce?

It affects both, but differently. Precisely for B2B, with long sales cycles and many touchpoints, it makes tracking a prospect cross-channel harder. On the other hand, B2B often works with a narrower audience and clear contacts, which makes a first-party approach a good fit.

Do I need to buy new tools right away?

Not automatically. If you have little traffic or leads, a heavy measurement stack does not pay off yet. Start with a clean first-party base and steer on customers and revenue. Only invest in extra tooling when the volumes justify it.

Ready to make your measurability future-proof?

Data deprecation changes the playing field, but it does not have to harm your campaigns. With an honest first-party base, thoughtful reporting and a focus on customers instead of vanity metrics, you simply keep steering on growth. Want to know where your B2B tracking is now vulnerable and what the first, smartest step is? Book your free intake