In 2021, eCommerce brands were hit hard and fast by Apple’s privacy updates that hobbled Facebook’s advertising powers. The effects remain: brutal CACs and weak lookalikes.

Although it would be great to have a year to breathe, we aren’t blessed with the luxury: data privacy in 2022 will be equally important. 

But how do you prepare for a world focused on data privacy? We spoke to a few privacy experts about their predictions on what you can do to collect data while not running afoul of regulations. 

While you can’t prepare for everything, you can get an idea of what’s coming down the pipe:

“Targeted advertising offered by Google and Facebook may become less effective in the short term.“

“Regulators worldwide have been looking closely at ad tech providers for some time – 2022 will be the year where they will start really changing the rules of the game.  Their aim is to increase competition between suppliers so the smaller ad tech companies can take on the likes of Google and Facebook. 

To achieve this, new European legislation expected to come into force this year will limit what the large advertising services providers can do with their data. This means that targeted advertising offered by Google and Facebook may become less effective in the short term.  Additional constraints will also follow in the UK, where the regulator is also requiring Google actively to engage with stakeholders in the development of the Privacy Sandbox proposals.

-Aniko Adam

"’Doing nothing’ from the data side is not an option in 2022.”

“Privacy will polarize. Third-party data-reliant brands will find themselves increasingly policed and pressured to fold in new solution layers and chase compliance, while brands focused on direct-from-consumer data will find themselves on the inside of their customers' comfort zones. 

Will it happen at lightning speed? No — but "doing nothing" from the data side is not an option in 2022.”

-Mitch Turk, Fairing

“Data confidentiality regulations are not only the norm, but have now become a social issue”

“The global focus on data privacy has been extraordinary in the last few years. The EU's GDPR is one of the strictest data privacy laws in the world and has grown since it was introduced in 2018. Mandates like this leave businesses everywhere asking: Is European legislation leading the way in terms of privacy policy and consumer data protection?

In fact, we now see privacy protections similar to GDPR in the United States such as the California Privacy Rights Act, Virginia Consumer Data Protection and Colorado Privacy Act. It is well understood that data confidentiality regulations are not only the norm, but have now become a social issue and thus must evolve. Because consumers are getting frustrated with individual website cookie permissions and repeatedly re-issuing their preferences, we can anticipate technology that will be integrated with the largest browser platforms within a year or so, enabling users to establish their privacy preferences once. 

Tighter and tighter data collection restrictions, leaves companies with the need to determine acceptable ways to collect valuable user data while maintaining compliance and making consumers feel comfortable. This means unprecedented coordination between legal, data privacy, marketing, and digital teams. 

Privacy is now something we are concerned with - engineer, lawyer, marketer, web developer, company owner and consumer. It has become a priority for companies and governments as everyone tries to balance capturing important information with business ethics and the consumer’s right to privacy. We can expect (hope) the outcome will be better tools for managing cookies and privacy protection, and more transparency and accountability in the collection and use of personal data.”

-Robin Lacombe, Elevar

How to drive growth with data

Now more than ever, zero-party data is the key to success for eCommerce brands that want to grow in 2022. While ad campaigns on Facebook and Google aren’t dead, brands need to adapt and create campaigns focused on the data they have. You have lots of data in multiple systems, but you need a central source of data that helps inform your marketing, retention, and winback campaigns.

To help you develop a single source of truth and save you time and money when it comes to analytics, check out Daasity. 

Watch an on-demand demo to see how Daasity can help you leverage your data to its max potential.