Cookie Consent and VWO’s Adherence

As part of the data protection policies like GDPR, it might be necessary to obtain informed consent from visitors before deploying any cookies or trackers to process their data. One way to do this is to display a cookie banner informing visitors about cookies, thereby taking their consent for tracking.

VWO adheres to data protection regulations and does not collect sensitive information. However, the decision to implement VWO with cookie consent or not is entirely up to you.

Some of our customers have classified VWO's cookies as necessary, allowing the VWO SmartCode to be executed without the visitor's consent, while others have not and require the visitor's consent before executing the VWO SmartCode.

Let’s look at the different approaches you can adopt to implement the VWO SmartCode.

Different Methods for Implementing VWO SmartCode

To determine which implementation is appropriate for you, always consult your legal counsel. They can help you make an informed decision considering the data privacy rules of the countries in which you operate.

Here are the different approaches that you may use to implement VWO SmartCode:

1. Standard SmartCode Implementation
   This implementation allows you to execute the SmartCode without the visitor’s consent, i.e., you do not require any permission before deploying cookies or trackers to process visitor’s data. The SmartCode executes as soon as a visitor lands on your website. If you intend to implement the SmartCode in this manner, click here to learn how to configure it for your website.
   
   

2. Conditional Execution of SmartCode Based on the Cookie Consent
   This implementation ensures that the SmartCode is executed only after the visitor’s consent is obtained, be it any product of VWO. Furthermore, VWO communicates with cookie consent managers via callback when the visitor accepts or rejects the cookie, allowing you to run the SmartCode based on valid consent.
   
   In VWO, you can configure this implementation using the new config-based SmartCode implementation. If you intend to implement the SmartCode in this manner, click here to learn how to configure it for your website.
   
   

3. SmartCode Implementation with Consent Configured for VWO Insights and Engage
   This implementation allows you to execute the SmartCode after obtaining the visitor’s consent. However, this implementation is limited to VWO Insights and Engage; and with this, the Testing campaigns execute without the visitor’s consent. 
   
   In VWO, you can configure this implementation using custom triggers, which allows you to use any complex conditions as the trigger for the Insights and Engage data collection. If you intend to implement the SmartCode in this manner, click here to learn how to configure it for your website.
   

FAQs

1. Are there legally possible ways to declare VWO cookies as essential?
   If you define the VWO cookies in the essential category, you can execute the VWO code without the visitor’s consent. We have customers who have added VWO in the Strictly Necessary category, but we recommend you consult with your legal counsel.
   
   
2. What kind of cookies are used by VWO?
   VWO uses different cookies, each storing a different set of data. However, the cookies do not store any personally identifiable information or interfere with the loading or functioning of the website. To learn about the different cookies stored by VWO, click here.
   
   
3. Is the product compliant with the required standards?
   Yes, VWO complies with data privacy rules. Read more about VWO’s compliance here.
   
   
4. Can I integrate using GTM (on a trigger after consent is provided)?
   Yes, you can. However, we do not recommend installing the VWO SmartCode using tag managers like Google Tag Manager. By default, all tag managers load the SmartCode asynchronously, which can cause page flicker or flash of original content. The use of tag managers may also delay the VWO SmartCode, causing time-out issues and preventing visitors from becoming part of the test.