Filling Pieces journey to data-driven success with Elevar

“Cookieless future.” Is it really on the cards? While Google continues to breadcrumb the depreciation of third-party cookies, Elevar is pushing forward with a solution that’s server-side and privacy-led. For apparel brands like Filling Pieces, maintaining customer insights and personalized marketing is in the firm grip of user regulation - Jeroen Overweg, Filling Pieces Ecommerce Manager, put it like this - “the way data is seen has changed, but what we do with it still remains the same.” So, how do brands keep both sides of the equation in check - ensuring compliance while still accessing granular consumer data?

At the NXT:Commerce Summit 2024, Giacomo Giorgi, Partner Manager at Elevar, joined Jeroen Overweg, Ecommerce & Marketing Manager at Filling Pieces, to unpack the industry’s transition from third to first-party data tracking. Together, they explored the challenges brands face in collecting accurate and clean insights, and why first-party data is the only way forward.

Filling Pieces was born to prove a point - quality and creative style shouldn’t be limited to the high-end consumer. Taking its first steps into the fashion world with footwear, Founder Guillaume Philibert and his team set out to design a luxury shoe for the minimally conscious. Today, Filling Pieces is a full fashion house distributed online, across 200+ retailers, and through its own brick-and-mortar store. Despite their growth, the brand still speaks to the same audience carved out in 2009. 

Shaped by his mixed background (Surinamese and Dutch), Guillaume tries to bridge the gap between different people, cultures and believers - “Filling Pieces” in a historically exclusive industry. This mindset has helped the brand build a loyal customer base on and offline. But things have changed. Consumers speak a different language and require more cues - content needs to stay relevant and products appealing. The challenge is staying ahead of the buyer.

Regulation is tightening, awareness is building, all forcing brands to consider - what is the difference between first and third party cookies? 

It’s important to first understand, all cookies aim to track one thing - user behaviour. It’s how they track that differs. Third-party cookies monitor user activity across the internet, while first-party cookies are linked to specific websites. 

Since 2017, when Apple introduced Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) to restrict third-party cookie tracking, the privacy landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation. The introduction of GDPR in Europe soon followed, setting a benchmark for data protection standards globally. In 2018, California’s CCPA further emphasized consumer rights and data transparency. By 2020, major browsers like Chrome and Safari began phasing out third-party cookies, accelerating the shift toward a privacy-first internet. Apple’s iOS 14 update in 2021 reinforced this trend with App Tracking Transparency (ATT), mandating user consent for data tracking. 

These developments compel brands to rely heavily on first-party data to maintain compliance while continuing to access meaningful customer insights.

A timeline of key events

• 2017: Apple introduces restrictions on third-party cookies with ITP.
• 2018-2019: GDPR and CCPA come into effect, setting new standards for data privacy.
• 2020: Major browsers begin phasing out third-party cookies.
• 2021: Apple’s iOS 14 update with ATT disrupts performance marketing.
• 2024: DMA mandates consent mode and consent banners, with the depreciation of third-party cookies in Chrome on the horizon.

So, why say goodbye to third-party cookies? These trackers supply raw and privacy infringing data to a nearly trillion-US-dollar ad-tech industry. They collect thousands of data points from users, including Google searches, credit card transactions, and dating profiles etc. Consent is often blurry and trade-deals unregulated - a big problem for brands striving to do right by customers.

With touchpoints everywhere and no third-party cookies to monitor them, data became dizzy for Filling Pieces. Tracking users was tedious and customer journeys were lacking a much needed data push. This disruption hit their ability to target ads effectively and deliver personalized experiences to their loyal customer base. 

Committed to trust and transparency, privacy compliance wasn’t just a box to check - it was non-negotiable. They needed a solution that respected user privacy while keeping them competitive.

On top of that, they required a new tracking system that could integrate seamlessly with their Shopify-powered ecommerce platform and existing marketing tools. Plug-and-play simplicity was a must.

Enter, first-party-data - the golden ticket in today’s privacy-first world. Collected through clicks rather than bid-wars, insights are gathered ethically from customer interactions on websites, apps, and POS in physical stores - giving brands a clear, unfiltered view of their audience. 

Elevar’s server-side tracker leverages this technology, helping brands like Filling Pieces collect attributable data and send it to key marketing destinations. 

After smoothly launching Filling Pieces new website on Shopify, Ask Phill suggested moving away from native integrations. Why? Because first-party data was pushing brands up and up the ranks! By shifting to Elevar’s collection approach, Filling Pieces unlocked a new level of precision in tracking user behavior: 

• Session enrichment capabilities providing the brand with granular, real-time insights into customer interactions, mirroring the depth of data which was once reliant on third-party cookies. 
• Ability to deliver personalized content and product recommendations, enhancing Filling Pieces overall customer experience (CX)
• Fully compliant with GDPR and CCPA, Elevar ensures data is collected responsibly and ethically, reinforcing trust and transparency with customers. 
• A seamless integration driving impactful results, leveraging enriched data insights to remain both relevant and competitive in a privacy-centric digital landscape.

These are some of the results Filling Pieces saw in Meta after four weeks! 

• 172.62% Increase in Meta ROAS.
• 234.64% Higher conversion value.
• 278.14% More purchases.
• 67.54% Decrease in CPA.

And it didn’t stop there. Filling Pieces implemented Elevar’s server-side integration for Klaviyo in October 2024. Since then, they’ve seen a growth of 80% in attributed revenue primarily due to flows performing better.

As uncertainty in data tracking persists, and CX difficulty rises, Filling Pieces and Elevar hold the secret sauce that many brands are chasing down - fortunately they shared it all during NXT:Commerce Summit 2024. 

Here are some practical applications that Jeroen from Filling Pieces shared during his talk with Elevar, to help data-curious brands stay ahead of the curve: 

• Prioritise solutions that offer accurate, first-party data collection and, most importantly, are compliant with data privacy standards from the start. This will build customer trust, give you critical insights for optimization and personalisation and make your brand future-proof. 
• If you have a small team, look for an agency or specialist that can assist with the integrations. This will solve a lot of stress.
• Consider additional tools for attribution like Billy Grace.