You’ve probably heard that “the cookie is dead”. Here’s the twist: in Chrome, it isn’t.

In July 2024, Google dropped its plan to deprecate third-party cookies. By October 2025, it had retired most of its Privacy Sandbox technologies too.

So why should you care about zero-party data in 2026? Because your customers still expect personal experiences, and the data you buy or infer is getting weaker every year. McKinsey found that 71% of consumers expect personalised interactions, and 76% get frustrated when they don’t get them.

In this guide, I’ll clear up the cookie confusion, explain the data hierarchy, and show you how to build a zero-party data engine step by step.

Key takeaways

  • Google did not remove third-party cookies from Chrome. Safari and Firefox already block them by default.
  • Zero-party data is information a customer intentionally and proactively shares with you, a term coined by Forrester.
  • 71% of consumers expect personalisation, so declared preferences are a growth asset, not just a compliance fix.
  • Quizzes, preference centres, loyalty programmes and AI chat are the most practical ways to collect it.

The cookie reality check for 2026

Many articles (including an earlier version of this one) said Google finished killing third-party cookies in 2024. That is not what happened.

Here is the real timeline:

Timeline of third-party cookies: Safari blocks them in 2020, Firefox in 2022, Google keeps them in Chrome in 2024 and 2025 and retires most Privacy Sandbox APIs
What really happened to third-party cookies. Sources: WebKit, Mozilla, Google Privacy Sandbox.

So the cookie survived in Chrome. But signal loss is still real.

A large share of your audience browses on Safari and Firefox. Consent banners, ad blockers and privacy laws, including Mauritius’s Data Protection Act 2017 (aligned with GDPR), all reduce what you can track. Any strategy built only on cookies is built on sand.

Understanding the data hierarchy

Not all customer data is equal. Here is how the four types compare.

Third-party data

Collected by someone else, then bought or licensed. Broad reach, but low accuracy and increasingly restricted.

Second-party data

Another company’s first-party data, shared through a partnership. Useful, but limited and dependent on your partner’s consent practices.

First-party data

What you observe directly: website behaviour, purchases, email engagement. I cover this in depth in how first-party data helps marketers.

Zero-party data

Forrester defines it as data “that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand”. Think preferences, budgets, goals and purchase timelines.

The difference is simple. First-party data tells you what someone did. Zero-party data tells you what they want and why. No guessing, no modelling.

The data hierarchy: third-party, second-party, first-party and zero-party data compared
The data hierarchy: from data you buy to data customers give you.

How to build a zero-party data engine: 5 steps

The golden rule: people only share when they get something useful back. Every step below is a value exchange.

Step 1: Upgrade your sign-up and preference centre

Ask two or three questions at sign-up: what they care about, how often they want to hear from you, and what they are shopping for right now. Let them update it any time.

Step 2: Create interactive content

Quizzes, assessments, product finders and calculators give the user an instant result. In return, you learn their needs in their own words.

Step 3: Use loyalty programmes for progressive profiling

Don’t ask for everything on day one. Ask one new question with each reward, birthday or milestone, and make the benefit of answering obvious.

Step 4: Let AI chat ask the right questions

A well-designed AI assistant asks about budget, goals and timing before it recommends anything. That conversation is zero-party data. I explain why this matters in how AI chatbots are talking shoppers out of buying.

Step 5: Store it with clear consent

Save every answer in your CRM against the customer record, with the consent and purpose recorded. Under GDPR and Mauritius’s Data Protection Act, consent must be freely given, specific and informed.

How to activate zero-party data

Collecting data is pointless if it sits in a spreadsheet. Here is where I put it to work for clients:

Want to scale this with AI? My guide to hyper-personalisation at scale shows how.

Why the advantage compounds

Your competitors can copy your ads, your prices and your website. They can’t buy, borrow or scrape what your customers told you directly.

Every consented answer makes your targeting sharper and your messages more relevant. Start small, prove the value, then expand.

Frequently asked questions

What is zero-party data?

Zero-party data is information a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand, such as preferences, goals, budget or purchase timeline. The term was coined by Forrester.

Has Google removed third-party cookies from Chrome?

No. In July 2024 Google dropped its plan to deprecate third-party cookies, in April 2025 it confirmed it would keep its current approach, and in October 2025 it retired most Privacy Sandbox technologies. Safari and Firefox still block third-party cookies by default.

What is the difference between zero-party and first-party data?

First-party data is what you observe directly, such as website visits and purchases. Zero-party data is what customers tell you on purpose, such as their preferences and intentions.

How can a small business start collecting zero-party data?

Add two or three preference questions to your sign-up form, launch a simple quiz or product finder, and record every answer with consent in your CRM so you can personalise emails and offers.

Conclusion

The cookie didn’t die in Chrome. But relying on it was always a shortcut around building real customer relationships.

Zero-party data is that relationship, turned into something you can use. It is accurate, consented and impossible for competitors to copy.

So here’s my question for you: what is one question you could ask your customers this week that would change how you market to them?

Ready to build your own customer data engine?

I set up tracking, first-party and zero-party data collection, CRM integrations and automations that turn customer answers into better campaigns. Tell me about your project and I’ll come back to you within 24 hours.

Sources