Getting your store ready for the future of privacy: Google Consent Mode v2
What is Google Consent Mode v2?
Google Consent Mode is a mechanism through which your users' Cookie or app identifier consent status is communicated to Google. Google tags will then adjust their behavior and the information they send through based on the consent status.
Consent Mode, upon receiving the communicated consent status, dynamically adapts the behavior of Analytics, Ads (as well as some 3rd-party) tags that create or read browser cookies. This allows Google to use advanced modelling to fill in the gaps when data isn't available, providing you a better and more accurate experience across Google Services.
Why do you need to use Google Consent Mode v2?
Ultimately, it's all about making sure that user privacy choices are respected, however, starting with March 2024, Google has determined Consent Mode v2 to be a requirement for websites that use Google Services in the European Economic Area (EEA). These changes and requirements allow you simultaneously respect privacy choices, while also ensuring Google's conversion and behavioral modelling can substitute the lack of data and continue providing a unified data experience.
How does Google Consent Mode v2 work?
Essentially, Google Consent Mode requires setting a default consent state for a few Google-specific parameters (usually denied) when a user first accesses the website. Afterward, a consent banner or popup is displayed, which allows the user to customize (deny or accept) their consent towards Google's parameters. When the user interacts with the banner, the consent state is updated and communicated to the Google Tag Manager container. The tags in the container then adapt their behavior based on the signals provided. In short, the process is:
- Set up a consent banner
- Set the default consent state (usually denied)
- Update the consent state as the user interacts with your banner
Google does not provide a consent banner/popup that can be used, so the onus is on the merchant to implement this. This can be done via a Cookie Management Platform (which handles the acceptance/rejection of cookies in general) or via a custom functionality through which a banner or popup is displayed. If you already have a Cookie Management Platform/Solution implemented, there's a good chance it's been updated for compatibility with Google Consent Mode v2, in which case you can explore Google's documentation to find out whether Consent Mode is properly implemented.
What does the WeltPixel Google Consent Mode v2 for Magento 2 extension do?
The purpose of this extension is to ensure merchants can implement Google's Consent Mode v2 on their website with minimal effort, friction and customization. Essentially, the module fulfills the implementation by setting a default consent state and allowing merchants to display a form (either via popup or Magento Widget) that users can interact with to update the consent state and communicate this information to Google Tag Manager.
This extension is targeted and intended for merchants that do not have an existing Cookie Management Platform/Solution and that do not intend to implement one. It's important to note that the extension is not a full-fledged Cookie Management Platform and only serves to set and update Google's specific Consent Mode v2 parameters. It works with an existing Google Tag Manager implementation and, for best results, is recommended to be used with our Google Analytics 4 (GA4) extension.
