ID++: Is Amazon planning its own post-cookie solution?

Amazon is reportedly planning to launch a project called ID++, an alternative to soon-to-be-defunct browser tracking cookies for advertisers, according to a news report in Ad Age.

Last week, the internet giant posted (and quickly deleted) a job listing for a project called ID++, described as “the next generation of innovative products and services that will fuel the future growth of Amazon’s ad solutions in an identity-restricted world”.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age that the ID++ project is an in-development initiative creating “addressability models”.

The job listing featured a diagram of words with “growth” at the centre, and with “lower cost structure”, “advertising dollars” and “customer experience” orbiting this central premise. 

A cookie-shaped hole in adland… and a golden opportunity for rival platforms 

Google is scheduled to phase out third-party cookies on Google Chrome, but its solution, the Privacy Sandbox has come under scrutiny, presenting an opportunity for rivals to offer their own universal audience tracking alternatives.

The news comes as Amazon continues to expand its presence as a major player in the ad ecosystem, leveraging its huge audience reach as the world’s leading online retailer and a major video streaming platform. 

Last month, Amazon switched its basic plan over to an ad-supported that now includes limited ads and becomes the latest addition to the burgeoning advertising video on demand (AVOD) market.