In 2022, Google began changing the availability of the information available in User-Agent strings across their Chromium browsers. The change is to use the set of HTTP request header fields called Client Hints. Through this process, a server can request, and if approved by the client, receive information that would have been previously freely available in the User-Agent string. This change is likely to have an impact on publishers across the open web that may use User-Agent information today.
To explain what this change means, how it will impact the AdTech industry, and what you can do to prepare, we spoke with Nate West, our Director of Product.
What is the difference between User-Agents and Client Hints?
A User-Agent (UA) is a string, or line of text, that identifies information about a web server’s browser and operating system. For example, it can indicate if a device is on Safari on a Mac or Chrome on Windows.
Here is an example UA string from a Mac laptop running Chrome:
To limit the passive fingerprinting of users, Google is reducing components of the UA strings in their Chromium browsers and introducing Client Hints. When there is a trusted relationship between first-party domain owners and third-party servers, Client Hints can be used to share the same data.
This transition began in early 2022 with bigger expected changes beginning in February 2023. You can see in the above example, Chrome/109.0.0.0, where browser version information is already no longer available from the UA string on this desktop Chrome browser.
How can you use User-Agent device attributes today?
UA string information can be used for a variety of reasons. It is a component in web servers that has been available for decades. In the AdTech space, it can be used in various ad targeting use cases. It can be used by publishers to better understand their audience. The shift to limit access and information shared is to prevent nefarious usage of the data.
What are the benefits of Client Hints?
By using Client Hints, a domain owner, or publisher, can manage access to data activity that occurs on their web properties. Having that control may be advantageous. The format of the information shared is also cleaner than parsing a string from User-Agents. Although, given that Client Hints are not the norm across all browsers, a long-term solution may be needed to manage UA strings and Client Hints.
An advantage of capturing and sharing Client Hint information is to be prepared and understand if there is any impact to your systems and processes. This will help with the currently planned transition by Google, but also should the full UA string become further restricted.
Who will be impacted by this change?
Publishers across the open web should lean in to understand this change and any potential impact to them. The programmatic ecosystem supporting real-time bidding (RTB) needs to continue pushing for adoption of OpenRTB 2.6, which supports the passing of client hint information in place of data from UA strings.
What is Google’s timeline for implementing Client Hints?
Do businesses have to implement Client Hints? What happens if they don’t?
Not capturing and sharing with trusted partners can impact capabilities in place today. Given Chromium browsers account for a sizable portion of web traffic, the impact will vary for each publisher and tech company in the ecosystem. I would assess how UA strings are in use today, where you may have security concerns or not, and look to get more information on how to maintain data sharing with trusted partners.
We can help you adopt Client Hints
Reach out to our Customer Success team at tapadcustomersuccess@experian.com to explore the best options to handle the User-Agent changes and implement Client Hints. As leaders in the AdTech space, we’re here to help you successfully make this transition. Together we can review the options available to put you and your team on the best path forward.
About our expert
Nate West, Director of Product
Nate West joined Experian in 2022 as the Director of Product for our identity graph. Nate focuses on making sure our partners maintain and grow identity resolution solutions today in an ever-changing future state. He has over a decade of experience working for media organizations and AdTech platforms.
Latest posts
Before we get to the gift guides, here’s a brief update on the hottest products from the week including Cyber Monday. This week’s biggest movers and new additions to the list are a clear sign that Christmas is upon us. “Star Shower,” a laser light that bathes your house in festive lights without having to untangle cords, jumped to second place, up 49 rank points from the week prior. Likewise, the return of “Elf on the Shelf” to the hot products list coincides with his return to the homes of children nationwide. Otherwise, things seems to have stabilized with Fitbit showing no signs of falling from first place and Pie Face game being this year’s sensation. Toys Shopkins remains the toy to beat this season followed by Pie Face game, which remained in second place after skyrocketing interest during the week of Thanksgiving. Toys new to the top 10 this week include some old favorites like the Easy Bake Oven and Paw Patrol toys as well as the new entrant Glammin Salon Vanity. Keep checking back each week for the latest hot toys. This chart shows the 10 most searched for toys and games based on search clicks to Toys “R” Us – USA. Gift guide insight When it comes to buying presents for the holidays, some individuals are easy to shop for while others require a bit of inspiration. And when consumers need inspiration, consumers turn to the Web. Searches for “gifts for,” “gift guide” and “gift ideas” grow increasingly common as we get closer and closer to Christmas with peak search activity around this topic typically observed during the last full week before Christmas, which this year would be the week ending Saturday December 19th. Some of the most common gift recipients mentioned in gift guide-related searches are: “men,” “guys,” “her,” “mom,” “dad” and “girlfriend.” But shoppers are also frequently looking for suggestions on the perfect gift for someone very specific interests, such as “hunters,” “gamers” and “beer lovers” as well as specific types of gifts, like “tech” or “personalized.” The following gift guide insights, derived using our new AudienceView platform, were designed to highlight for you, as a marketer, the interests and preferences of key consumer segments so that you can more effectively tailor your campaigns to be more relevant and engaging. But if it also helps you, as a consumer, come up with the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for person in your life, then even better! Each gift guide contains a representative mix of search terms that were performed at above average rates by each audience segment during the four weeks ending November 28, 2015. They include a mix of product and retail brands and provide a good idea of the interests, style preferences and lifestyles of each audience. Learn more about how AudienceView can deliver unparalleled insights into your consumer audience so that you can deliver a better brand experience.
It’s October, and you know what that means; leaves are changing, sweaters are being pulled out of the closet, pumpkin-flavored items are taking over coffee shops. For many marketers, this is the most exciting (and stressful) part of the year. Holiday marketing is ramping up, and it will only increase in intensity as the weeks go on. Luckily, we’re hard at work here at Experian, analyzing data from past holiday seasons to bring you the insights you need to make your holiday marketing programs successful. We’ve examined search and email behavior to compile a list of the most important days to email and trends that will help you delight your customers from now until the New Year. You can access all of these insights in our Holiday 2015 Marketing Insights Calendar, which covers marketing trends from October through December. Holiday marketing tips for October With Halloween fast approaching at the end of the month (and Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday not far behind), marketers should use October to solidify their plan for the holiday season. Here are three things you can do to optimize your impact this month: 3 ways to optimize your holiday marketing programs in October Target reactivation campaigns to last year’s holiday-only shoppers to maximize active subscribers this season Perform a data cleanse and email verification to ensure message delivery. List health is key to a successful holiday season, and now is the time to double check. Consider offering Halloween-specific products for the little ones. Costumes for newborns and toddlers are on the rise, so don’t forget about the youngsters! Want more holiday marketing insights? Don’t miss our upcoming webinar, Check your list twice: Last-minute marketing strategies for the holiday season.
Remember when email took the world by storm, replacing a significant portion of “snail mail”? The shift didn’t happen overnight; it took time for the public to understand, trust and embrace the new technology. Advances in digital marketing may move quickly, but we in the industry cannot expect to change user behavior overnight. Consider that email has traditionally been a “one click” or “single action” environment. When a new idea such as kinetic email challenges this convention, there are ways to effectively strategize its use in your campaigns and properly introduce its features to your audience. Kinetic email – the evolution of responsive design You may have heard the energetic term “kinetic” being bounced around – appropriate since movement is the main idea behind this advancement in email communication. But to fully understand its appeal, we need to look back at another technological breakthrough. Once the mobile boom occurred a few years ago, email designers saw the writing on the wall – or perhaps we should say “on the screen” – and responsive design was born. It was finally possible for content and layout to resize to the screen of the device on which it was viewed. In designing those layouts for mobile screen sizes by manipulating the CSS, developers eventually discovered that content in the email could be interactive and dynamic. This capability was coined “kinetic.” Kinetic email design acts as the next stage of responsive, giving the user multiple ways to interact with the content and layout before he or she takes a committed action. Why is it desirable? Studies in user behavior tell us that the average viewer spends 3-15 seconds looking at an email communication, with the average Apple user spending even less – only 0-3 seconds. Obviously, there’s a huge advantage in holding someone’s attention, and if used cleverly, kinetic design can help in that regard. It can also remove steps to purchase because they’re being completed within the email rather than on the website. Within the email, subscribers may be able to view color and size choices, or choose between perks such as free shipping or a percentage off their order (we’ll dig deeper into those possibilities in a follow up blog post). This creates a more interactive atmosphere, and that’s a good thing. Still, you must bear in mind that too many steps provided by kinetic design can be overkill. You don’t want to add more work for the viewer; complicating what was once a simple action can turn off your audience, so be smart about its application. Does it make sense for your brand? The key is to determine whether or not kinetic capabilities complement your brand. What do you offer? Who is your customer base? Remember, an email marketer needs the user to interact with the email; they won’t just hover or toggle instinctively. Will your customers stick around to watch, explore or play? Carefully consider products/images/topics that will offer an engaging experience. It has to result in more than just a “wow” response; in needs to encourage transactions. It can also be difficult to predict response since this sort of breakthrough is likely more exciting to those of us on the development side than it is to the end consumer. To prepare your customers for the novelty of kinetic email, you could notify them in advance. However, a smarter way to approach the introduction might be through the use of simplified tabs and navigation. Too many options would start to look like a full blown site – unnecessary. Is kinetic email the future? It’s a bold innovation for sure, but it’s still too early to determine its value to email marketers. To be truly valuable, it must consistently get people interested in making a selection – and a carousel of pretty pictures only goes so far. A savvy email marketer knows that flashy functionality can be an attention-getter, but it must be used when and where it makes sense. Aim for a smarter execution to make the most of a kinetic set up. Want to learn more about the latest trends in email design? Watch the video recording from our recent webinar, Digital Eye Candy: Email Creative Strategies that Wow!