What are cookies?
A cookie is a small file stored in the user’s device (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.) with information that may be necessary for navigation on the internet. It is a text file with small pieces of data used to identify the user’s computer when they use a computer network. The server creates a cookie once the user connects to a website.
This data is labelled with an ID unique to every person, session, and device. When the cookie is exchanged between the browser and the network server, the server reads the ID and knows what information to serve that specific user.
Cookies are essential to the workings of the internet. In general, they enable the provision of several interactive services and facilitate the navigation and usability of the website, which can thus deliver a better online experience, based on user data.
What is cookie consent?
Simply put, it’s how websites make sure the processing of their users’ personal data is compliant with the law. Through cookies, the website owner shares information about users’ navigation with social media, advertising, and analytics partners, who may combine it with other information provided to them or collected from their own sources.
Why are cookies necessary?
As an essential part of web browsing, HTTP cookies help web developers give users more personal, convenient website content. Cookies allow websites to remember who the visitors are, their login information, shopping carts, and more. Cookies cause no harm to the visitors’ devices and their data.
How do cookies help shoppers navigate ecommerce websites?
Cookies allow websites to keep track of all the items the shoppers have placed in the cart while they continue browsing. If a buyer disables cookies on the browser while shopping, the items in the shopping cart could disappear with every click on a new link.
Thus, online shopping is virtually impossible without cookies, and browsing websites becomes impractical. This is just one example of why cookies are necessary on certain websites.
