The Cookieless Future — Why Zero-Party Data Matters

By Zenia Pearl V. Nicolas

The digital economy is entering a new phase where privacy is not just a compliance requirement, it is reshaping how brands earn and sustain customer trust.

Privacy regulation is now global

As of January 2025, 144 countries have enacted national privacy or data-protection laws, covering roughly 82% of the world’s population (International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP, 2025).This expansion reflects a global shift toward accountability and transparent data-use; passive tracking is becoming riskier for organizations operating internationally. (IAPP, 2025; SecPod, 2025)

Third-party cookies are fading but not gone

Marketing and analytics practitioners increasingly highlight first-party and zero-party data as the future of personalization in response to tighter browser and platform policies (Contentful, 2025).

That said: blocking third-party cookies does not automatically eliminate tracking. Some sites still use first-party cookies or other identifiers, meaning tracking and analytics may simply evolve rather than disappear. (Munir et al., 2022)

Zero-party data: personalization with permission

Zero-party data is information a customer intentionally and proactively shares — such as preferences, purchase intentions, or contextual details (Braze, 2025; Qualtrics, 2023).

Because it comes directly from users with their consent zero-party data is inherently more transparent and privacy-friendly than data collected passively or inferred. (Qualtrics, 2023; Avenga, 2025)When combined with responsibly collected first-party data, it enables personalization that customers can see, understand, and control (shopify.com, 2025; Epsilon, 2025)

Trust will define the competitive advantage

Consumers share personal data selectively. If companies ask for too much or personalize in ways that feel invasive, trust can quickly erode (Contentful, 2025).Thus, the shift away from third-party tracking is not merely a technical migration, it requires a new mindset that respects user agency and long-term, consent-based relationships.

The transition is already underway

The “cookieless future” is not hypothetical. It is already reshaping how companies approach data, personalization, and customer relationships. Organizations that invest early in transparent, consent-driven, privacy-first data practices focusing on zero- and first-party data — will be better positioned to succeed in a world where privacy and user trust matter more than ever.

References

Avenga. (2025, June 17). What Is Zero-Party Data? Retrieved from https://www.avenga.com/magazine/zero-first-third-party-data-comparision/ 

Braze. (2025, April 10). Zero-Party Data: The Key to Privacy-First Personalization. Retrieved from https://www.braze.com/resources/articles/what-is-zero-party-data  

Contentful. (2025, February 21). The rise of first- and zero-party data. Retrieved from https://www.contentful.com/blog/raise-first-party-data-zero-party-data-personalization/ 

Corporate & Compliance news. (2025). Data Compliance Practices for Global Businesses. SecPod. Retrieved from https://www.secpod.com/blog/data-compliance-practices/ 

IAPP. (2025, January). Data protection and privacy laws now in effect in 144 countries. Retrieved from https://iapp.org/news/a/data-protection-and-privacy-laws-now-in-effect-in-144-countries

Epsilon. (2025, August 19). What Is First-, Second-, Third- and Zero-Party Data? Retrieved from https://www.epsilon.com/us/insights/blog/what-is-first-second-third-and-zero-party-data 

Qualtrics. (2023, October 10). What is Zero-Party Data? Definition, Benefits and Examples. Retrieved from https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/strategy-research/zero-party-data/ 

Munir, S., Siby, S., Iqbal, U., Englehardt, S., & Shafiq, Z., Troncoso, C. (2022). COOKIEGRAPH: Understanding and Detecting First-Party Tracking Cookies. arXiv. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.12370

Shopify. (2025, February 25). Zero-Party Data vs. First-Party Data: The Differences. Retrieved from https://www.shopify.com/ph/enterprise/blog/zero-party-data-vs-first-party-data