In the fast-evolving digital landscape, tracking user behavior is essential for personalized marketing. However, with increasing privacy restrictions and the growing unreliability of third-party cookies due to browser restrictions, brands face growing challenges in maintaining the accuracy and lifespan of customer data. At Wunderkind, we’ve taken these challenges head-on with Server-Side Tracking.
What is Server-Side Tracking?
At its core, server-side tracking is a powerful method for enhancing data collection and personalization in digital marketing by addressing the limitations of traditional tracking methods like client-side tracking. Server-side tracking collects data directly on the server, processing user interactions before sending them to analytics or marketing platforms. In contrast, client-side tracking gathers data through the user’s browser via JavaScript or tracking pixels.
By leveraging server-side tracking, brands can ensure the longevity and accuracy of first-party data, even in environments where browser restrictions or privacy regulations limit data collection. This enables marketers to build detailed customer profiles, deliver personalized experiences, and improve campaign performance over time. Server-side tracking offers a more reliable and future-proof solution for brands seeking to maintain effective audience engagement in an evolving digital landscape.
How does it work?
Wunderkind’s server-side tracking process is designed to be seamless and efficient. It begins with the client setting up a subdomain redirect. With the redirect, when users visit a brand’s website, their requests are routed through Wunderkind’s servers, allowing us to place first-party cookies directly on that brand’s domain. These cookies, which are crucial for identifying users and personalizing experiences, are no longer vulnerable to the short lifespans imposed by browsers on third-party cookies.
The business value of Server-Side Tracking
The most significant benefit of server-side tracking is its ability to help brands better deliver highly personalized campaigns for a much longer timeframe – weeks or even months instead of days. The improvements server-side tracking provides to the lifespan and size of cookies first and foremost give brands access to first-party data for a longer duration and, secondly, allow them to maintain a smoother, more responsive on-site experience for their users. All told, these enhancements directly influence engagement and conversion rates.
What makes Wunderkind Server-Side Tracking unique?
While server-side tracking may become more widespread in the future, Wunderkind’s solution stands out due to our identity expertise and the scale of our network. Server-side tracking as a standalone allows cookie life to extend. But when used in tandem with Wunderkind’s extensive existing identification technology, server-side tracking significantly improves our ID life and performance, giving Wunderkind an advantage over solutions that rely more heavily on client-side cookies for user tracking and identification. In a competitive market where personalization and performance are paramount to success, this scale is key.
Join us to learn more
At Wunderkind, we continuously push the boundaries of marketing technology to ensure that brands thrive in a world where data and personalization fuel the most successful campaigns. Ready to dive deeper? Join our virtual panel webinar on October 9th and get the full scoop on our recent Wunderkind Identity announcement and the evolution of our Autonomous Marketing Platform.
