If you run a bustling ecommerce store you have regular customers who come in browse and simply order products from your online store. To keep track of their preferences and make their shopping experience superb you might jot down notes about their favorite products and shopping habits. This is why you may want to use first party cookies.
What Are First Party Cookies?
First party cookies are small data files stored on a users browser by the website they are visiting. Think of them as your digital notes thats help remember user preferences, login details and shopping carts.
This way when a customer gets back to your website they don’t need to do certain actions again simply because first party cookies have already saved on their preferences. Result? The shopping experience and interaction with your website are way more convenient for your visitors etc.
4 Benefits of First Party Cookies
If you have ever wondered whether you really need to use third party cookies in your e-commerce, then you clearly aren’t aware of how beneficial they happen to be.
- First-party cookies remember your visitors’ preferences, such as language settings, currency choices and display options. For example if a customer prefers to view your website in Spanish and see prices in euros the cookies will remember these choices for their next visit.
- First-party cookies can store login information which is super convenient. Returning users don’t have to enter their information every time they visit. This feature is especially useful for members only areas or customer accounts making the login process quicker and easier.
- Sometimes it happens that a customer adds several items to their shopping cart but gets distracted and leaves your website. With first-party cookies their cart contents are saved so when they return their items are still there ready for checkout. This reduces friction and increases the likelihood of completed purchases.
- First-party cookies can track user behavior on your website such as pages visited, products viewed and past purchases. Using this data, you can create personalized recommendations, special offers and targeted content. And you should do that because those smart moves positively affect the overall user experience and increase customer loyalty.
First-Party Cookies in a Greater Detail
From a technical standpoint first party cookies are created and managed by your domain meaning they are more secure and trusted compared to third party cookies which come from external websites.
Browsers and privacy regulations favor first party cookies because they provide a better balance between functionality and user privacy.
Summary: What Is a First Party Cookie?
Think of first party cookies as your personal tools helping you provide a significantly better and more efficient shopping experience for your customers.
In essence first-party cookies allow you to
- understand customer behavior
- anticipate customer needs
- make their visits to your website more enjoyable
By storing information such as login details, shopping cart contents and language preferences first party cookies promote personalized experiences for your returning customers. And once your customers are happy they are more likely to get back to your website.
