Foundation · 2 min
What you need to know
What are ecommerce cookies?
Cookies are small data files a website stores or reads on a user’s device. Similar technologies include local storage, pixels, SDKs, and device identifiers.
Why do ecommerce stores use cookies?
Stores use them for sessions, carts, preferences, security, analytics, personalization, and advertising. Each technology should have a defined purpose and duration.
What are essential cookies?
Essential cookies support a service the user requests, or a necessary security or communication function. The precise legal exemption depends on applicable rules.
What are analytics cookies?
Analytics cookies help measure visits and behavior. Their treatment depends on configuration, identifiability, provider, and jurisdiction rather than the label alone.
What are advertising cookies?
Advertising cookies or similar identifiers support ad targeting, measurement, frequency control or cross-site profiling. They often require more explicit choice and oversight.
First-party vs third-party cookies: what’s the difference?
First-party cookies are set in the visited site’s domain context; third-party cookies involve another domain context. Ownership label alone does not determine purpose, risk or consent requirements.
Do all cookies require the same treatment?
No. Treatment depends on purpose, necessity, data, provider, duration and applicable law. Inventory and classify rather than applying one assumption to every cookie.
How should merchants inventory tracking technologies?
Scan real pages and consent states, review tag managers and code, interview owners and record name, provider, purpose, data, duration, trigger and region behavior.
A quick store check
Scan the storefront before and after consent choices and reconcile every observed tracker with the approved inventory.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Is a cookie banner itself proof of compliance?
No. The underlying tags, choices, records and regional behavior must match what the interface claims.
Should security cookies be disabled when advertising is rejected?
Not when they are genuinely necessary and properly classified; rejection should stop the nonessential purposes selected.