Cookies are small text files stored in your visitors' browsers that help Omnisend deliver personalized experiences and track visitor behavior. Understanding how Omnisend uses cookies helps you manage visitor privacy and comply with regional regulations.
This article covers all cookies Omnisend places on your site, explains the difference between essential and tracking cookies, and shows how to control when tracking cookies are placed.
⚠️ Shopify Only: Tracking cookie management is available for Shopify stores only. Support for other platforms is coming soon.
Before You Begin
Before managing cookies, make sure that:
Your store is connected to Omnisend
Your store is on Shopify – tracking cookie management is currently available for Shopify stores only. Support for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and other platforms is coming soon.
You have a cookie consent banner installed on your site (if required in your region)
Your cookie banner is configured to send consent signals to Omnisend. See Set Up Consent Signals for Omnisend Tracking Cookies.
How Omnisend Uses Cookies
When you connect your store to Omnisend, Omnisend places essential cookies and tracking cookies on your visitors' browsers.
These cookies let you identify visitors, trigger automations based on visitor behavior (e.g., abandoned cart automations), and show popup forms based on visitors' behavior and data.
Omnisend uses two types of cookies:
Essential cookies – always loaded, regardless of your tracking settings. These remember visitor preferences, such as that a visitor dismissed or filled out a popup form, so it won't be shown again. Essential cookies do not identify visitors or track behavior – they store functional preferences in the browser.
Tracking cookies – used for contact identification, behavioral tracking, and advanced form features. You can control when these cookies are placed on your site.
List of Omnisend Cookies
The table below lists all cookies Omnisend places on your visitors' browsers.
Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Expiration |
omnisend-form-{form ID}-closed-at | Essential | Remembers that a visitor dismissed a popup form, preventing it from being shown again. | 365 days |
omnisend-form-{form ID}-filled-at | Essential | Remembers that a visitor filled out a popup form, preventing it from being shown again. | 365 days |
omnisend-form-{form ID}-teaser-closed-at | Essential | Remembers that a visitor closed a form teaser, preventing it from being shown again. | 365 days |
soundest-product-picker | Essential | Identifies whether the Product Picker is in use. | Session end |
omnisendSessionID | Tracking | Identifies a session of an anonymous contact or a contact. | 30 minutes of inactivity |
omnisendContactID | Tracking | Identifies a contact. | 365 days |
page-views | Tracking | Counts the number of page views in a session. | Session end |
omnisendShopifyCart | Tracking | Monitors contents of a cart in a session. | Session end |
omnisendBigcommerceCart | Tracking | Monitors contents of a cart in a session. | Session end |
Manage When Tracking Cookies Are Placed
You can choose when Omnisend places tracking cookies on your visitors' browsers.
Go to Store settings → Connected store and select one of two tracking modes:
Track visitors before they consent – Tracking cookies are automatically placed when a visitor opens your site.
Wait for consent before tracking – No tracking cookies are placed until a visitor explicitly accepts them.
The "Track visitors before they consent" is the default mode assigned by Omnisend. Your existing tracking behavior will not change unless you actively select "Wait for consent before tracking."
⚠️ Legal Considerations:
Your tracking mode choice has legal implications.
In the EU/EEA and UK, privacy laws generally require visitor consent before placing tracking cookies.
In the US, several state laws impose requirements around tracking and opt-out mechanisms.
If you serve visitors in these regions, consider which mode is appropriate for your store. This article provides technical guidance only; consult your legal team to ensure compliance with the privacy laws that apply to you.
Track Visitors Before They Consent
When you select the "Track visitors before they consent" mode, Omnisend places tracking cookies on your visitors' browsers as soon as they open your site, before they interact with any cookie consent banner.
What this enables:
Full visitor tracking starts immediately.
All form features work (page visit rules, visitor targeting, location targeting, A/B tests).
Automations trigger based on behavior right away (e.g., abandoned cart, browse abandonment).
Contact identification happens from the first visit.
💡 If you serve visitors in the EU/EEA, UK, or regions with strict privacy laws, this mode may not be compliant unless you have a valid legal basis (such as legitimate interest with an easy opt-out mechanism). Consult your legal team before selecting this option.
Wait for Consent Before Tracking
When you select the "Wait for consent before tracking" mode, Omnisend does not place tracking cookies until a visitor explicitly accepts them through your cookie banner.
What this means:
No tracking happens until the visitor consents.
Forms with visitor targeting, page visit rules, or location targeting will not display to visitors who haven't consented or who reject cookies.
Automations that rely on behavioral tracking (e.g., abandoned cart) will only trigger for visitors who accept cookies.
A/B test variants are not shown to visitors who reject cookies.
Essential cookies still work normally.
💡 Consult your legal team to ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws in your region.
Set Up Consent Signals
To respect your visitors' cookie preferences, Omnisend needs to receive consent signals from your site.
Consent signals tell Omnisend when a visitor accepts or rejects cookies through your cookie banner. Without consent signals, Omnisend won't know when to place or remove tracking cookies.
To set up consent signals, follow our dedicated guide for step-by-step guidelines.
When are consent signals required?
Critical: If you select "Wait for consent before tracking," consent signals are required for any tracking to happen at all
Important: If you select "Track visitors before they consent," consent signals are still needed so Omnisend can stop tracking and remove cookies when visitors reject them
⚠️ Important: Omnisend does not provide a cookie consent banner. You must implement your own consent mechanism and ensure it sends correct consent signals to Omnisend. The design, content, and legal compliance of your banner is your responsibility.
How Tracking Cookies Affect Forms
When tracking cookies are not available, some popup form settings won't work, but basic form functionality will not be impacted.
These settings will not work when tracking cookies are rejected:
Display Settings – Page Rules: Page visits (e.g., "show after 3 page views").
Targeting Settings: Visitor targeting (existing contacts, new contacts, specific segments) and location targeting.
A/B Tests: A/B test variants are not shown to visitors who reject cookies.
⚠️ Important: Forms that use visitor targeting, page targeting, or location targeting will not be displayed at all to visitors who reject cookies.
Removing Cookies from the Browser
In some cases, you or your visitors may need to remove Omnisend cookies manually. This can be useful for testing or troubleshooting.
💡 Tip: Omnisend form cookies include your form ID in the cookie name. For example: omnisend-form-62a310dfde6d29521d384428-filled-at. You can find your form ID in the URL when editing a form in Omnisend.
Depending on the browser, there are different ways to remove cookies for a specific domain. Below are links to instructions for each major browser:
Removing all cookies from Edge – Edge does not support deleting cookies for a single domain.
Note: Once your visitor removes these cookies, Omnisend can no longer track them until new cookies are set (either automatically or after they consent, depending on your tracking mode).
FAQ
What happens to existing tracking data if I change the tracking mode from "Track visitors before they consent" to "Wait for consent before tracking"?
When you switch from "Track visitors before they consent" to "Wait for consent before tracking," Omnisend stops placing new tracking cookies immediately. Any data collected before the change is retained in your account, but no new behavioral data will be collected until visitors provide consent.
What happens to tracking data if a visitor rejects cookies?
If your site is sending consent signals to Omnisend, tracking stops and cookies are removed when a visitor rejects them. Any data collected before the rejection is retained, but no new behavioral data will be collected for that visitor.
This applies only to Omnisend's cookie-based tracking behavior. It does not affect any rights your visitors may have under applicable privacy laws, such as the right to request erasure of their personal data. You are responsible for handling any such requests in accordance with your own privacy obligations.
Omnisend provides tools to help you fulfill data subject requests. For assistance, contact our support team via in-app chat or at [email protected]. We recommend consulting your legal counsel to understand how data subject rights apply to your use of Omnisend. Learn more about consent signals.
Can I use both tracking modes at the same time for different regions?
No. The tracking cookie mode is a global setting that applies to all visitors on your store. If you need to comply with regional consent requirements, select Wait for consent before tracking and rely on your cookie consent banner to manage consent for different regions.
Can I test cookie behavior without affecting live visitors?
Yes. Use your browser's incognito/private mode to test how forms and tracking behave with and without cookies. You can also manually remove Omnisend cookies from your browser (see Removing Cookies from the Browser above).
Reach out to us for further assistance. We're available 24/7 at in-app chat and [email protected].