Cookies in Travel Businesses

  Author: Qing Liu

In the past, the landscape of travel advertising was complex. Seeking ideal customers may be placing advertisements in magazines, brochures and specific websites, and tracking is not possible. but with the evolution of online advertising, the shift to programmatic advertising, travel marketers can now find their ideal travellers and engage with them wherever they are online, no matter what website or device they are using. Most importantly, it is possible to measure the impact of advertisements placed and help travel marketers ensure they are spending where it matters. (Travel Advertising Today & in a Cookieless World, 2021)

 

What is a cookie?

A “cookie” is a small data file/small text file placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website to identify a user or device and collect information. Cookies are widely used by website owners to make their websites work or improve productivity, as well as to provide reporting information. "Cookies" are also small text files that are stored on your computer's hard drive and are used to record how you move around a website so that the next time you visit the website it can provide tailored options based on the information stored about you. Cookies are used by almost all websites and will not harm your system. (Cookie Policy UK Travel and Tourism, 2022)

Programmatic today:

• When a traveller visits a website and expresses interest in purchasing this product.
• As travellers visit different websites, algorithms instantly bid to show ads to travellers on that website.
• As the website loads, ads are placed in front of that traveller with the goal of attracting and ultimately converting them.

Cookies make your interaction with the website faster and easier. If you do not agree to the use of cookies, every time you move to another new page on the website, the system will automatically consider you a new visitor.

 

The first-party and third-party cookies:

• First-party cookies are not going away and will remain important advertising for travellers because they improve the user experience. At the same time, first-party cookies can remember passwords and preferences to enhance the user experience, can track the history of visited websites and collect analytical data, which is stored in a database by the website owner. For example, when you log into the Amazon UK shopping site and come back later, you don't need to log in again because of the first-party cookie.
• 3rd party cookies are provided to websites through scripts or tags from third parties, they track the online behaviour history of individual websites and are often set by ad technology vendors.

Post-Cookie Strategy for Travel Companies:

• Collection and utilization of first-party data: Many consumers are willing to log in, subscribe to receive content, or otherwise identify themselves in exchange for a more personalized experience. There are data technology solutions available that leverage the personal details consumers choose to share and rely on single, persistent customer identity, such as an email address, to provide marketers with additional insights. Travel companies can then use these insights to segment and target customers while measuring the effectiveness of their marketing spend. (Aresty, 2022)
• The demise of third-party cookies means that travel companies will need to find ways to capture and utilize first-party data from consumers. For many in the industry, this will include shifting ad spend from social media sites to digital marketing and ad tech partners that specialize in collecting all kinds of data to help travel companies better understand their customers and provide them Provide information and experiences relevant to individuals. (Aresty, 2022)

Four categories of cookies:

1. Necessary cookies. These cookies are very important to your use of the website functionality. Without these cookies, services you request, such as logging into secure areas of the website, cannot be provided.
2. Analytics/performance cookies. These cookies record information about how you use the website. The information collected includes, for example, the Internet browser and operating system used, the domain names of the websites previously visited, the number of visits, the average length of visits and pages viewed. These cookies do not collect information that personally identifies you, but only aggregated and anonymous information. Performance cookies are used to improve the user-friendliness of the website and to enhance your experience.
3. Functional cookies. These cookies allow the website to remember your information and preferences and provide more personalized features. They can also be used to provide services you request, such as watching videos or commenting on blogs. The information these cookies collect may be anonymous and they will not track your browsing activity on other websites.
4. Advertising and targeting cookies. These cookies are mainly used for tracking your browsing habits and using for advertising purposes. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an ad and measure the effectiveness of an ad campaign. Generally, it is an advertising network license provided by the website operator. They remember the websites you have visited, and this information is also shared with other organisations. (Travel Portland, 2022)

How to manage your cookies?

Most of the time the Internet browsers are initially set to accept cookies automatically. Unless you have adjusted your browser settings to refuse cookies, cookies are automatically issued when you direct your browser to a website. You can refuse to accept cookies by activating the corresponding setting on your browser. Please note that restricting the use of cookies may affect the functionality of most websites. Therefore, you may not be able to access certain parts of the website or use certain products and/or services of the website.

Author: Qing Liu

Keywords: #Cookies #Cookiespolicy #travel

References:

1. UK Travel and Tourism. 2022. Cookie Policy UK Travel and Tourism. [online] Available at: <https://uktravelandtourism.com/cookie-policy> [Accessed 20 March 2022].
2. Sojern.com. 2021. Travel Advertising Today & in a Cookieless World. [online] Available at: <https://www.sojern.com/post/travel-advertising-today-in-a-cookieless-world> [Accessed 23 March 2022].
3. Aresty, H., 2022. How Travel Marketers Can Personalize the Online Experience in a Post-Cookie World. [online] Hospitality Technology. Available at: <https://hospitalitytech.com/how-travel-marketers-can-personalize-online-experience-post-cookie-world-0> [Accessed 24 March 2022].
4. The Official Guide to Portland. 2022. Cookies, Beacons and Scripts on Travelportland.Com | Travel Portland. [online] Available at: <https://www.travelportland.com/about-us/cookies/> [Accessed 24 March 2022].