For years, marketers have lived off third-party cookies — those tiny trackers that followed users around the internet, telling us what they clicked, searched, or shopped for. It was convenient, yes. But it also crossed the line of privacy far too often.

Now, with Google finally phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome and stronger privacy laws like GDPR and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act) kicking in, marketers face a hard truth:
The old ways of tracking customers are dead.

o, what comes next?

This is where First-Party and Zero-Party Data step in.

• First-Party Data is what you collect directly from your customers — like their purchase history or how they use your app.
• Zero-Party Data goes a step further: it’s data that customers voluntarily share with you — like their preferences, needs, or feedback.

Example: Think about a brand like Nykaa. Instead of secretly tracking what you browse, they ask you directly: “What’s your skin type?” or “Do you prefer vegan products?” That’s zero-party data in action — clean, consent-driven, and incredibly powerful.

The shift isn’t just about compliance. It’s about trust. Customers today want to feel in control of their data. Brands that respect that and still deliver personalized experiences will win big.

So as third-party cookies crumble, the question for marketers is simple:
Are you ready to build trust-driven strategies where customers choose to share, not where you choose to snoop?