From the Tracking Crisis to the Edge Revolution: Interview with Thomas Labeyrie, Director of Digital Passengers

Thomas Labeyrie leads Digital Passengers, an agency specializing in marketing performance optimization. Facing the growing challenges of digital tracking, he shares his vision on the sector's evolution and future solutions.

Thomas, can you paint us a picture of digital tracking 10 years ago versus today?

Ten years ago, it was the golden age of tracking! Third-party cookies worked perfectly, Google Analytics gave us a complete view of the customer journey, and Facebook Pixel captured everything without restrictions. We had quasi-perfect attribution on 95% of traffic.

Today, it's a different world. Between Apple's iOS 14.5, the gradual disappearance of third-party cookies, and GDPR, we're navigating with 60-70% visibility maximum. Advertising platforms work in "modeling" mode to fill the gaps, but uncertainty is omnipresent.

This evolution was necessary - consumers demanded more transparency - but it created a real operational headache for agencies like ours that manage substantial advertising budgets.

How do you perceive the impact of regulations like GDPR on your profession?

GDPR was a positive electroshock, even if complex to implement. As an agency director, I consider that respecting user privacy is non-negotiable - it's our ethical and legal responsibility.

Concretely, it forced us to completely rethink our practices: systematic compliance audits, implementation of Consent Management Platforms, team training on the legal bases of data processing. Our clients trust us on these sensitive subjects.

And what's the business impact?

The business impact is real: 20-30% drop in consent rates depending on sectors, technical setup complications, but also a healthier relationship with data. European consumers benefit from enhanced protection, and virtuous companies like Digital Passengers find a competitive advantage against the sector's "cowboys."

What were the first technical "tricks" adopted by marketers to circumvent these limitations?

The first reactions were... creative, let's say! Some multiplied tracking domains, others played with cookie durations or implemented browser fingerprinting. We saw techniques like CNAME cloaking to mask trackers, or abusive use of localStorage.

Personally, I always refused these approaches at Digital Passengers. Sure, they gave short-term results, but the risks were enormous: CNIL sanctions, loss of client trust, and above all, these techniques were doomed to disappear.

We preferred to invest in training, fine understanding of new regulations, and research for sustainable solutions. It's longer, more expensive, but it's the only viable long-term approach. Our clients thank us today for this ethical approach.

How do you evaluate the reliability of data collected with current methods?

That's the current pain point! With traditional methods, we're navigating with 60-70% visibility maximum. Platforms like Google Analytics 4 use statistical modeling to fill gaps, but these remain estimates.

Concretely, on an e-commerce site with €1M monthly revenue, we can "lose" €300-400k of revenue in reporting. Imagine the impact on advertising campaign optimization! We optimize on partial data, which drastically dilutes performance.

First-party data remains reliable but limited. Server-side data improves the situation but requires sharp technical skills. The real challenge is having a unified and complete view of the customer journey while respecting regulations. That's exactly why we were looking for a solution like Edgee.

What "intermediate" solutions did you test before Edgee?

We explored several avenues! First, server-side tracking with Google Tag Manager Server - effective but complex to maintain and costly in technical resources. Then other server-side tracking tools like Taggr and Stapes - relatively easy to implement but never complete in terms of data.

We also tested advanced consent management solutions, advertising platform conversion APIs, and even developed custom scripts for specific clients.

The recurring problem: either solutions were too technical for our teams, or they only solved part of the problem, or they were out of budget for our mid-market clients. We were looking for the "Holy Grail": a complete solution, technically accessible, regulation-compliant, and scalable for all our clients, from small e-commerce to large accounts.

How did you discover Edgee and what immediately appealed to you?

The discovery of Edgee happened through Gilles Raymond, the co-founder. His "edge computing" approach to data collection immediately caught my attention - finally someone who thought differently!

What appealed to me: the revolutionary technical architecture that allows collecting data closest to the user, without going through traditional servers. Result: more complete, faster data, totally GDPR compliant.

But above all, Edgee reconciles technical performance and privacy respect. No need to choose between data quality and compliance! The interface is accessible to our marketing teams, implementation is simplified, and results are there from day one. When Gilles showed me the first benchmarks on major e-commerce sites, I knew we had our solution.

Can you simply explain what makes Edgee revolutionary?

Edgee revolutionizes collection by moving data processing directly "at the source," at the edge server level, rather than in the browser or on distant centralized servers.

Concretely: imagine your data being processed 5ms from your users instead of 200ms! This means faster collection, less data loss, and above all, native compliance with regulations since data remains geolocated.

The edge architecture also naturally bypasses ad blockers and browser restrictions, while respecting users' consent choices. It's technical, but the result is simple: 95% visibility on your data instead of the current 60-70%.

For our marketing teams, this translates to more precise insights, more reliable attribution, and therefore improved advertising performance. Edge computing is the future of digital marketing!

Sources: Edgee technical documentation, edge computing principles

Are there other benefits to implementing Edgee?

This is a fascinating point I hadn't anticipated! By moving collection to the edge, we've drastically lightened our client sites. Before Edgee, a classic e-commerce site carried 15-20 third-party scripts: Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, Hotjar, Intercom, etc.

Concrete result on Core Web Vitals: a huge improvement for UX!

SEO-wise, the impact is measurable but we're still waiting for figures from our clients to communicate about it. Google clearly favors fast sites since the Page Experience updates.

As a full-service agency, seeing our SEO efforts boosted by our tracking tool is an unexpected jackpot!

How do you see tracking evolution in the next 5 years?

I think we're heading toward intelligent hybridization! Edge computing will become the norm for primary collection, while AI will revolutionize behavioral analysis and prediction.

Third-party cookies will have completely disappeared within 2-3 years, replaced by privacy-first identifiers and solutions like Google's Topics API. First-party data will become companies' most precious asset.

Regulation-wise, I expect global reinforcement: Digital Services Act, American privacy laws, Asian regulations. Companies that anticipate these evolutions will take the lead.

Edge computing will be democratized, accessible even to SMEs thanks to solutions like Edgee. And above all, we'll finally have reconciled marketing performance and privacy respect - which seemed impossible 5 years ago!

What advice would you give to marketers still hesitating to take the leap?

My advice: stop suffering and regain control! Too many companies remain in wait-and-see mode, hoping for a return to the past that will never happen. Regulations will strengthen, not soften.

Start by auditing your current setup: what data are you losing? What impact on your performance? Then test new solutions on a restricted perimeter.

At Digital Passengers, we offer 30-day Edgee POCs - it's risk-free and results speak for themselves.

Choose partners who share your ethical values.

Digital marketing is going through its biggest transformation in 20 years. Those who adapt today will dominate tomorrow. The others... will suffer competition from those who made the right technological choices.