After many delays and roadblocks over the years, Google has announced that they are abandoning their plans to eliminate third-party cookies. This decision likely comes as a surprise to marketers who have been diligently preparing for a "cookie-less world."

Google initially intended to deprecate cookies from their Chrome browser due to consumer privacy demands. However, they have repeatedly delayed this change as they made efforts to support advertisers and ensure regulatory compliance. Now, Google says that instead of getting rid of third-party cookies entirely, they will instead prompt users to set their own preferences around cookies, empowering individuals to opt out while still allowing cookies to exist.

Despite this course correction from Google, marketers should still prioritize data gathering tools and strategies outside of cookies – and Listrak can help.