The enforcement of the new e-privacy law should be viewed an opportunity for brands to build trust with their customers, not as a threat to sales.
There are just three weeks remaining before the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) starts to enforce the new law. Maximum fines are up to £500,000 so it is not something businesses can afford to take lightly or get wrong.
Chris Combemale, executive director of the DMA, said: “There’s plenty of evidence to show that the majority of website owners and digital marketers have yet to take any steps towards complying with the new law. The standard reason cited is the belief that the law won’t apply to them. There’s also a prevailing fear of becoming compliant and losing sales as a result of consumers rejecting cookies.
While this may occur in the short term, research by the DMA has shown that consumers are more likely to trust a brand and share data with them if they’re open and transparent about how they will use it. Giving consumers straightforward information about your website’s cookies will demonstrate a commitment to using their data responsibly.”
There is still confusion about the specifics of the law. eccomplished recently carried out a survey with Ecommerce Directors from 100 UK retailers with online revenues in excess of £3m, they found that more than a third wrongly believe on-site 3rd party cookies are someone else’s problem.
The DMA have published a 10 step guide to managing cookies.
