Nearly all US browsers could become cookieless in the future

Key stat: 87% of US browsers could become cookieless long term, according to our analysis of StatCounter data.

Beyond the chart:

• Less than 1 in 5 (17%) US consumers say they always accept third-party cookies when given the choice, per a July 2024 EMARKETER survey.
• If that holds true under Google’s new consent-based model and Microsoft Edge deprecates cookies by the end of 2024 as planned, only about a tenth of US browsers will be trackable via third-party cookies, according to our Chrome’s New Path for Privacy report.
• “Cookies are going to be the exception rather than the rule,” analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf said on a recent episode of our “Behind the Numbers” podcast, noting advertisers and publishers will still need to invest in cookieless strategies like Google’s Privacy Sandbox, data clean rooms, or identity solutions.

Use this chart:

• Demonstrate the need for cookieless and first-party data strategies.
• Illustrate how targeting and personalization in digital advertising will become more challenging.
• Show how the changing landscape of digital advertising could disrupt programmatic strategies.

More like this:

• Cookie or no cookie: What marketers need to know for an opt-in Chrome
• Q1 2024 update: Which industries still rely on cookies the most
• Over half of Gen Z and millennials often or always accept cookies
• Chrome’s New Path for Privacy (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from StatCounter, Aug 2, 2024, as well as the July 2024 EMARKETER "US Consumer Attitudes on Advertising and Privacy" survey. In the US, 1,378 consumers were surveyed between May 3 and May 11, 2024. The survey aimed to gauge consumers' attitudes toward various types of advertisements, including video ads, banner ads, sponsored content, affiliate ads, and targeted ads. It also explored their sentiments about ad privacy and data sharing. Additionally, it identified the respondents' perception of AI-generated content in advertising. The respondents were selected to closely align with the US population on the criteria of age (among ages 15 to 77), gender, household income, and race/ethnicity. The survey was fielded by a third-party sample provider. Data has a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval. Additional EMARKETER Analysis of Aug 2024 StatCounter data.