How COVID-19 and the end of the cookie are changing loyalty

The twin impacts of COVID-19 and the end of cookies are forcing marketers to reappraise their approach to loyalty, suggest The&Partnership’s Oliver Feldwick and Heleana Blackwell.

Context

Many consumers have tried new shops, purchased alternative brands and explored new channels in order to fulfil their needs during the pandemic. However, tracking and measuring these new behaviours will become more difficult with the impending death of the cookie.

What can marketers do?

• In a ‘cookieless’ future, marketers need to invest in long-term, good-quality, meaningful first-party data and insight in order to understand peoples’ ‘in the moment’ wants and needs.
• There is opportunity to build ‘stickiness’, especially during times of economic uncertainty, by finding ways to respond to consumer concerns.
• Effective loyalty marketing understands the role of the brand in the consumer’s life and marketers should use strong creative to cut through and earn attention.

Key quote

“With existing customers we have a privileged relationship that we either take for granted and squander, or we understand and respect to get the most out of.”