A cookie isn’t just a pastry enjoyed by young and old alike.
It’s also a highly effective IT tool.
In particular, it enables us to collect and store information about visitors to a website.
While cookies can be used to improve the user experience on a site, for example by recording preferences entered by the surfer, they can also be used to track and monitor browsing.
After a quick reminder of how they work, we’ll look at how cookies can be used in e-commerce.
Did you say “cookie”?
A cookie is simply a small text file.
It is generated on the server hosting the visited website and sent to the browser.
The browser then deposits it on the user’s computer.
Since it contains only text, it is totally harmless.
Save user information
A website can therefore store information about its visitors.
Let’s take a simple example.
Antoine visits the “jaimelesport.fr” website to find information on his favorite activity, competition results, articles on equipment, etc. The first time, he registers, enters a certain amount of information and then browses the site.
Cookies enable the site to record a certain amount of information about Antoine, such as the pages he has visited, the articles he has consulted and the time he has spent on the site.
All this information is recorded via the browser on Antoine’s computer (or tablet, or smartphone).
Retrieve user information
When Antoine returned to the site some time later, he was immediately presented with a message: “Hello Antoine, we’ve missed you since your last visit!
This is followed by the latest articles published in Antoine’s areas of interest, and promotions on his favorite products.
All this information about Antoine was stored in cookies during his previous visits.
When he returns to the site, these cookies can be retrieved and the information they contain used.
It is important to note, however, that a website can only consult the cookies it has itself created.
It cannot read cookies placed by other sites (with the exception of third-party cookies belonging to partner sites).
Cookie usage
There are many uses for cookies, but some are more widespread than others.
Logging in information
The most common use is to store login information (username and password) for a site.
In this way, once a user has been identified on the site, they are automatically recognized when they return, without having to re-enter their login and password.
Sharing on social networks
Recording connection information also makes it easy to share different content on social networks.
Imagine Antoine has just read an article that interested him and wants to share it on his Twitter account.
One click on the share link and the Twitter login information will be read from the corresponding cookie.
The publication will then simply be made, without any further intervention on his part.
Saving preferences
It’s also very practical to save your site’s display and operating preferences.
Users can automatically find their favorite themes or the way information is organized, in the form of lists, columns, etc.
Pre-filling forms
By memorizing previous entries in forms, the user doesn’t have to enter all the information each time.
Forms will be pre-filled to save time.
Audience measurement
One of the most frequently used functions of cookies is audience measurement and tracking.
By analyzing cookies, it is possible to determine which pages a visitor has consulted, in what order, how long they stayed on them, how they arrived… The use of third-party cookies (i.e. those used by a partner and not the site itself) also makes it possible to track browsing outside the site.
Advertising and retargeting
By knowing the sections, themes and articles consulted on the site (and possibly on partner sites) by an Internet user, it will be possible to automatically display targeted advertising and offers corresponding to the products or product ranges of interest.
The test is very simple.
Visit an e-commerce site, browse a few items and then leave the site.
When you return to your favorite search engine, you’ll see that the ads you’re presented with correspond to products you’ve viewed before.
In this way, it’s possible to lead your customers to a purchase, even after they’ve left the site.
Cookie e-commerce or the use of cookies in e-commerce
Of course, many of the functions described above can also be used in e-commerce.
Automatic identification
Automatic identification on the e-commerce site is of course very interesting.
The easier it is for customers to identify themselves, the more likely they are to remain on the site until they place an order.
It will also be possible to automatically pre-fill order forms with the customer’s contact details.
This will make order validation easier, more convenient and quicker.
Display preferences
In the same way, saving display preferences will enable customers to obtain a unique user experience that corresponds as closely as possible to their expectations.
For example, being able to display the catalog in the form of a list of products, with precise sorting criteria, without having to configure everything on each visit, helps build customer loyalty.
Why go elsewhere if the site meets their expectations and they can quickly and easily find what they’re looking for?
Linked sales, targeted advertising and retargeting
Thanks to the information gathered in cookies, it will be possible to offer potential site customers items they might not have thought of at first.
By analyzing a visitor’s path, we can determine his or her areas of interest.
When they consult a product sheet, suggestions are displayed.
The “ancillary” products suggested are chosen according to the user’s tastes and any needs that have come to light as a result of browsing.
Take, for example, a visitor to an e-commerce site selling cell phones and accessories.
The models consulted by the customer will be tracked.
It will then be possible to propose other models in the same price range, but for which there is a partnership with the manufacturer.
The use of tracking cookies, by enabling us to identify the habits and needs of potential customers, will help trigger the act of purchase, not only of the product originally sought, but also of ancillary products, whether or not related to the initial need.
To conclude on the e-commerce cookie
The cookie, far from being a simple cupcake, becomes a formidable sales and marketing tool for any e-commerce activity.
If you need help configuring your e-commerce cookies or developing your online store, don’t hesitate to call on me. As a Prestashop developer and e-commerce consultant for over 10 years, I’ll be happy to advise you on your e-commerce project.
