Purpose – This study aims to identify and analyze innovative strategies that firms can use to develop customer engagement online without relying on third-party cookies, whilst also considering the firms' level of digital maturity. Method – To explore the innovative strategies for developing customer engagement online without third-party cookies, a sequential mixed-method design was employed, utilizing semi- structured interviews and survey data. A total of 12 respondents participated in the study, providing both interview and survey data for analysis. Findings – The findings of this study consist of four main themes in terms of strategies that don’t rely on third-party cookies to develop customer engagement online. These strategies are presented as data-driven strategy, value-based strategy, rethink allocation strategy, and direct customer engagement. Moreover, the findings reveal a greater interest and a positive attitude toward the data-driven strategy in particular, which in turn relies on the subthemes of CRM- system, and SEO. Theoretical and practical implications – This study holds theoretical implications in terms of firstly, confirming the previous research about engaging customers through customer communities. Secondly, this study contrasts the research about the dimensions required to develop customer engagement stated by de Oliviera Santini (2020) and Pansari and Kumar (2016). From a practical perspective, this study provides implications valuable for people in marketing leading positions deciding upon the strategic direction for digital marketing. Moreover, this study contributes with four strategies for businesses to adapt based on their database and organizational optimization.

Individualised online marketing requires taking a stand regarding legal laws and user privacy. Although laws and regulations have arisen to strengthen individuals' rights to privacy and data control, the subject is still perceived as complex. The purpose of the study is to make it easier for companies' marketing departments when communicating with consumers, by creating an insight into the consumer's perception of how sharing their personal data affects marketing on the internet. This study aims to investigate consumers' experiences regarding privacy and personal data for marketing purposes. The aim is to gain an insight into how users assess the value of the positive aspects of internet use, concerning the concerns linked to protecting personal data. Researchers of the study will research which factors impact consumers than they are sharing their personal data.  To answer the research question, 16 interviews were conducted, based on the consumer perspective. Respondents answered questions about their experience of privacy and sharing personal data when using the internet. At the same time, the study shows that consumers do not know how little control they have over their personal data. The study also shows that consumers value their privacy when sharing personal data online by trying to control the sharing of personal data. The empirical material shows that there are consumers who appreciate targeted marketing, while other consumers see it as an invasion of privacy. The study's theoretical contribution includes a model that infers the factors a consumer considers when deciding whether to share their personal data. The study concludes that consumers' experience of invasion of privacy makes them choose to minimise the sharing of personal data. This results in targeted online marketing being negatively affected, as consumers minimise the sharing of personal data. The study also concludes that consumers' relationship with companies deteriorates in cases where consumers experience lower trust, when they experience that their integrity is being violated.

Mängden data på nätet har ökat enormt de senaste åren mycket på grund av utvecklingen av sociala medier. På grund av detta har ett större incitament för att använda cookies och att samla in användarinformation skapats. Denna ökade insamling av personlig data skapar i sin tur en större risk för att användares integritet går förlorad. Tidigare forskning kring användares oro och medvetenhet för användningen av cookies har visat att många användare är helt ovetande om dessa risker för övervakning. Studien syftar till att förklara hur olika parametrar påverkar användes oro och medvetenhet kring cookie-användning genom ett frågeformulär. För att analysera resultatet används diagram och korrelationsanalyser. Resultatet visar att 83% av respondenterna är medvetna om cookie-användning och dessutom känner över hälften av dessa någon typ av oro för den kartläggning som sker genom dem. När vi tittat på medvetenhet och oro för cookie-användning utifrån kön, ålder och utbildningsnivå visar resultatet flera korrelationer. Resultatet visade starka korrelationer mellan bland annat medvetenhet och utbildningsnivå. Utöver detta visar resultatet även starka korrelationer mellan medvetenhet och kultur/kön. / The amount of data online has increased tremendously in recent years, largely because of the development of social media. Because of this, a greater incentive to use cookies and collect user information has been created. This increased collection of personal data creates a greater risk that users' privacy is lost. Previous research on users' concern and awareness of this has shown that many users are unaware of these risks. This study aims to explain how different parameters affect the users concern and awareness regarding the use of cookies through a questionnaire. To analyze the results we used graphs and correlation analyzes. The results show that 83% of respondents are aware of the use of cookies and more than half of them feel some type of concern about the monitoring which is possible because of them. When we looked at awareness and concern about the use of cookies by gender, age and educational levels the results show several correlations. The results showed strong correlations between awareness and education. In addition, the result also show strong correlations between awareness and culture/gender.

Vid sökning på internet via en webbläsare finns en mängd tredjepartsaktörer aktiva som samlar in information om användarens beteende. Det saknas idag en transparens gentemot användaren om vilka aktörer, vilken information och vad informationen används till. Genom simulerad surfning undersöks vilken utsträckning datainsamling sker. I studien undersöks de i dagsläget största aktörerna och deras respektive informationshantering. Studien visar på fem stora tjänster inom rekommenderat material och data-analys varav två företag undersöks vidare. Företagens informationshantering analyseras i uppsatsen utifrån respektive företags sekretessavtal. Undersökningen visar att en stor datainsamling sker utan att det är uppenbart för användaren. / When searching on the Internet via a web browser there is a variety of third-party actors active that collects information about the user’s behavior. Today, there is a missing transparency for the user about the actors, what information is gathered and what the information is used for. By simulating web browsing the extent of data collecting is researched. This study examines the current situation of major actors and their respective information. The study revealed five major services within recommended materials and data analysis. Two companies were investigated further. These companies are analyzed in the article based on each company’s privacy policy. The study shows that a lot of data is being gathered without it being obvious to the user.

This study aims to address whether Swedish e-commerce websites use dark patterns in cookies and, if so, how they do it and what users think is ethically acceptable regarding this matter. Previous research has mainly focused on identifying dark patterns and the user experience aspect of cookies and dark patterns. In this study, a framework based on definitions of dark patterns from Brignull (u.å.b) and Forbrukerrådet (2018), was used to identify dark patterns in cookies through a content analysis on 30 of the e-commerce websites in Sweden with the highest economic turnover. What users consider to be ethically acceptable is examined through a survey with a total of 111 respondents. The results show that dark patterns are used to a large extent on Swedish e-commerce websites and out of eight examined dark patterns, an average of five dark patterns per website were identified. The results also indicate that the majority of users thought that dark patterns in cookies are ethically unacceptable, even though a certain part of the respondents also seemed to be more neutral set in the matter.

Laws in the European Union can be difficult to interpret and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has majorly redefined consent in regard to online tracking. By specifying requirements for a cookie banner, the compliance of different websites can easier be investigated and a compliant cookie banner can be created. The result shows that virtually all websites fail to collect consent in accordance with the law. A created web component, simply called cookie-banner is suggested as a compliant solution.

Title: Personalized marketing - Appreciated or a potential risk to generation Z´s integrity?  Authors: Hannah Berg & Tova Karlsson  Supervisor: Michal Lysek  Background: Research has shown that with the advancement of technology, marketing has also changed from traditional to more digital. Personalized marketing is now a common marketing method where companies can create advertisements for everyone. This is possible through data collection to identify everyone’s behavior and preferences. The issue with this is that it can be perceived as a violation of consumer privacy.  Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to investigate Generation Z's opinions on personalized marketing and investigate if there are any differences in opinions between men and women. To achieve this purpose, the thesis will answer the following research questions: What are Generation Z's opinions on personalized marketing? Is there any difference in opinions between males and females?   Method: This study is based on a qualitative study with an inductive approach. The basis of the study has been inspired by grounded theory. The authors have interviewed a total of nine respondents, four men and four women from different parts of Sweden, with various occupations, all within Generation Z. The ninth respondent is the CEO of a marketing company.   Conclusion: Generally, the respondents prefer personalized marketing over traditional marketing. However, there is a difference in opinions between men and women, with women thinking that personalized marketing increases relevance, while men find it more irritating and see it as a threat to their integrity. Although, both genders agree that eavesdropping is perceived as a violation of privacy. Personalized marketing is more effective on women than on men. From a business perspective, personalized marketing is advantageous but also has negative aspects. Success in marketing for companies relies on effective strategies and follow guidelines and laws.   Keywords: Personalized marketing, cookies, personal integrity, eavesdropping

Cookies är idag ett utbrett fenomen som nyttjas vid digital insamling av information. Informationen som samlas in är ofta av personlig karaktär och används bland annat för att individanpassa användarupplevelser på webbsidor. Ovissheten kring digital insamling av personlig information skapar en oro som idag är mycket omdebatterad. Detta arbete utgörs av en kvantitativ studie med syfte att undersöka möjliga samband mellan universitetsstudenters medvetenhet, attityd och beteende gällande digital insamling av information. Undersökningen består av en onlinebaserad enkät. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats utifrån det teoretiska ramverket Communication Privacy Management (CPM) med hjälp av analysmetoden Partial Least Squares (PLS) samt IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) för att finna relevanta samband. Resultat påvisade att majoriteten universitetsstudenter känner till fenomenet cookies, men färre känner till dess användningsområden. Det konstaterades även att medvetenhet kring cookies har en påverkan på både beteende och attityd. Det fastställdes även att oavsett om universitetsstudenter har en negativ attityd förändras inte dess beteende. / Cookies are a widespread phenomenon and the main technique for digital collection of information. The collected information is often of personal nature and is used, among other things, to personalize user experiences on web pages. The uncertainty regarding digital collection of personal information creates privacy concerns that is significantly debated today. This essay consists of a quantitative study with the aim to investigate possible relations between university students awareness, attitude and behaviour regarding digital collection of information. The survey consist of an online-based poll. The gathered material has been analyzed by the theoretical framework Communication Communication Management (CPM) with the analysis method Partial Least Squares (PLS) and the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to find relevant relations. Results showed that the majority of university students are familiar with the phenomenon of cookies, but few are aware of its area of use. It was also found that awareness of cookies has an influence on both behaviour and attitude. It can be established that regardless of whether university students have a negative or positive attitude regarding cookies, it does not affect their behaviour.

Detta är en kvalitativ studie för att undersöka attityd gentemot processen för retargeting. Processen sker från att användardata samlas in med hjälp av cookies till att den bearbetas och når ut till konsumenten. Detta sker i form av annonser på sociala medieplattformar som Facebook och Instagram. För att kunna undersöka konsumentens attityder närmare utgick studien från ett teoretiskt ramverk som kallas för trekomponentsmodellen. Modellen inkluderar konsumentens kognition, affektion och beteende som tre olika typer av attityd. För att få en djupare förståelse kring attityd och konsumentbeteende är studien baserad på intervjuer. Intervjuerna genomfördes på högskolestudenter mellan åldrarna 18-29 år, som regelbundet använder Facebook och Instagram samt har en tidigare erfarenhet av retargeting. Det förekommer en kognitiv dissonans där det upplevs en oro av att dela med sig av sin användardata samtidigt som de godkänner cookiesavtal utan att läsa igenom dem, vilket visar på att attityd inte går ihop med beteende. Tillsammans med denna bakomliggande oro fanns även en uppskattning för retargeting, då detta kan leda till annonser som upplevs merrelevanta kontra massmarknadsföring. Detta skapar möjlighet att hitta nya produkter och tjänster som annars hade kunnat missats, som exempelvis ny musik. / This is a qualitative study aiming to seek a greater understanding of consumer attitude regarding retargeting. The process of retargeting occurs when user data is collected by cookies. The data is then processed and developed into retargeting advertisement on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. To analyse consumer attitude we used a theoretical framework named the Three Component Model. This model includes cognition, affection and behavioural attitude as three different types of attitude. To get a greater understanding of attitude and consumer behaviour this study were based on interviews. The interviews were delimited to university students between the age of 18-29, who all frequently use Facebook and Instagram and have been exposed to retargeting advertisement. A cognitive dissonance occured where the consumer acknowledges a perceived risc regarding data sharing, even though they tend to accept cookies agreements without reading them, which is a sign for attitude not being coherent with behaviour. Together with this concern there was also an appreciation for retargeting, because it can create advertisement which is more relevant than mass marketing. This creates an opportunity to find new products and services which otherwise could be overlooked, such as new music releases. This essay is further written in swedish.

Genom digitalisering av samhället och teknologins utveckling har marknadsföringsstrategier progressivt reformerats, från att uppmärksamma produkter mot konsumenten till att istället sätta konsumenten i fokus. Genom avancerade algoritmer, Business Intelligence och digitala DNA spår har det blivit möjligt att individualisera och rikta marknadsföring mot konsumentens intressen och även förutse individens konsumentbeteende. Samtidigt uttrycker individer ett stort värde för anonymitet och integritet online. Trots detta fortsätter konsumenter att frivilligt att lämna sin persondata, främst via olika kundklubbar, internet och sociala medier. Detta beteende påvisar en så kallad “privacy paradox”. Privacy paradox syftar på medvetenhet och oro kring utgivandet av persondata samtidigt som man agerar annorlunda. Avsikten med denna studie var att utforska om fenomenet privacy paradox existerar inom svenska konsumenters handlingar och konsumentens medvetenhet kring användning av personlig data för riktad marknadsföring online. Det empiriska materialet i denna studie består av semi-strukturerade intervjuer med sju olika respondenter gällande deras medvetenhet, tillit och integritet online. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av den tematiska strategin för att lättare identifiera beetendemönster som respondenterna utgav. Slutligen besvaras fenomenet privacy paradox hos svenska konsumenter genom tre forskningsfrågor 1.​“Hur medvetna är svenska konsumenter om den information som de delar med sig av, i synnerhet inom riktad marknadsföring?” 2.​“Hur mycket värnar svenska konsumenter om sin integritet?” ​3.​“ Påvisar svenska konsumenter privacy paradox och varför?”. Majoriteten av respondenterna var medvetna om personliga uppgifter online, dock varierade medvetenheten om vad för information som fanns tillgänglig både för privata användare och verksamheter. Man sa sig även värna om sin integritet men ens handlingar stödde inte detta till fullo. Med hjälp av denna studie fann man att fenomenet privacy paradox existerar hos de svenska konsumenter som deltog under denna studie. Anledningar till dessa var bland annat att man inte vill bli exkluderad från samhället och det kognitiva förtroendet till verksamheter. Man litar på att de gör rätt för sig. Värnande om integritet visades då genom att man minskade mängden personinformation som andra privatpersoner kunde komma åt. En annan anledning som uppkom var svårigheten i att bryta vanor och beteendemönster. Därför fortsätter man agera på samma sätt som tidigare, trots ny kunskap samt GDPR. Respondenter hade olika nivåer av förståelse riktad marknadsföring. Det majoriteten inte var medvetna om var mängden av lagrad information samt hur den samlas in t.ex. genom cookies. / Through digitalisation of the society and the technological development, the marketing strategies has progressively been reformed. From mainly giving attention to the product towards the consumers to instead place the consumer in the center of attention. Subsequently advanced algorithms, Business Intelligence and digital DNA tracing has enabled individualisation and target marketing, for the interest of the consumer, this also gave access to predict consumer behaviour. Meanwhile individuals put a big value on anonymity and integrity online. Despite this consumers keep sharing their data voluntary, primarily through customer clubs, the internet and social media. This behaviour demonstrates a so called “privacy paradox”. Privacy paradox refers consumers awareness and concern about sharing personal data, while still sharing their information. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the phenomenon of privacy paradox exists in Swedish consumers actions and the consumer’s awareness of the use of personal data for targeted online marketing. The empirical material in this study exists of semi-structured interviews with 7 different respondents regarding their consciousness, trust and integrity online. The results were analyzed through the thematic strategy to easily identify behavioural patterns that the respondents showed. Lastly, the phenomenon of privacy paradox in Swedish consumers is answered through three research questions 1. ​“How aware are Swedish consumers regarding the information they share, particularly in target marketing? ​2. ​“How much does the Swedish consumer care about their integrity?” ​3. ​“Does the Swedish consumer show privacy paradox and why?”. The majority of the respondents were aware that personal information exists online. The awareness regarding what kind of information that is available for both private users and organisations varied. While respondents mentioned that they want to protect their privacy, their actions proved otherwise. With the help of this study, we could conclude that the phenomenon named privacy paradox exists through the information gathered from the swedish consumers that participated in this study. Reasons being the willingness to not be excluded from society and the cognitive trust towards organizations. You trust that they do the right thing. Respondents protected privacy by reducing the amount of personal information other individuals could access. Another reason that was brought up was the difficulty in changing habits and behaviour. Therefore respondents continued doing the same things as before, despite new knowledge and GDPR. Respondents showed different levels of understanding regarding targeted marketing. However the majority was not aware of the amount of stored information and how it is collected, for example through cookies.