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Customer data is at the heart of digital marketing strategies. But collecting user data isn’t a free-for-all. Some data privacy laws require businesses to get permission from users before collecting their data. Consent management platforms (CMPs) help them do exactly that.
Without a clear mechanism for capturing and recording consumer consent, businesses face the risk of non-compliance. Privacy laws around the world are increasingly requiring businesses to honor users’ choices regarding data collection, tracking, and information sharing. For example, the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), which grants California-based consumers the right to opt out of certain data-sharing and advertising practices, imposes fines of up to $7,500 per intentional violation.
But the risks aren’t just financial. When consent isn’t handled correctly, data tracking can deteriorate, leaving businesses with incomplete or misleading insights. And as consumers become increasingly attuned to the risks associated with sharing their personal data online, companies without robust consent management programs risk significant reputational harm if that data is leaked or mishandled.
Read on to learn how consent management platforms work, what separates basic banner disclosures from true consent management, and how different tools can keep your business compliant.
What is a consent management platform?
A consent management platform is software that helps businesses collect data about site visitors in compliance with the applicable privacy laws where consumers are based. Wherever they’re programmed to appear, the CMP displays a pop-up consent banner that explains how the business collects and uses data from cookies, third-party services, and other data tracking technologies.
Certain basic categories of tracking—known as essential or strictly necessary cookies used for core site functionality—may not require user consent but are often listed in the consent banner. Visitors can then opt into or reject non-essential tracking altogether, or customize their consent preferences through the consent management platform’s preference center.
Based on what consent options the user selects, the consent management platform then blocks or enables scripts tied to cookies, third-party services, and other tracking technologies, ensuring that data is collected in response to a user’s choices.
The scripts that CMPs block or enable are small pieces of code that run on a website’s back end to collect data about how visitors interact with it. For example, they might track which pages within a site someone views, and if they add items to a cart. They might also track users across websites. Site operators use this data for analytics, advertising, re-marketing, and site performance improvements.
Consent management platforms can also give users ongoing control to update their preferences and revoke consent at any time, which may be required by data privacy laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
The CMP creates logs related to the user’s choices, creating an audit trail, which is essential for regulatory compliance across multiple regulations and jurisdictions, including the GDPR and US state-level privacy laws.
Many consent management platforms also include automatic website scans—for example, on a weekly or monthly basis—to check for any new or updated tracking scripts, cookies, or data processing services that a third party (for example, your website hosting service or a plug-in) placed on your website.
Anytime you add an app, integration, plug-in, or tag to your site, it may place tracking scripts. The purpose of the consent management platform’s audit is to ensure visibility of all trackers and enable the site operator to assess compliance with applicable data privacy laws.
Consent management platform vs. basic cookie notices
A consent management platform is not the same as a basic cookie disclosure. A simple banner or pop-up-style disclosure provides notice—informing users that a site uses cookies or tracking technologies—but it doesn’t necessarily give the meaningful opt-in or opt-out control.
A CMP, by contrast, is a fully operationalized and integrated privacy management platform. It adds a critical functional layer by allowing users to accept, reject, or customize tracking, and ensuring those choices are actually enforced by enabling or blocking scripts. It also stores consent records and lets users update or revoke their preferences over time.
Many ecommerce sites—and particularly those using non-essential cookies, analytics tools, ad pixels, or third-party data-tracking integrations that track users across websites—use a CMP to help manage consent and privacy preferences. Whether a CMP is legally required depends on the applicable privacy law(s), the technology being used, and how data is collected and processed. In those cases, a basic cookie banner may provide notice, but a consent management platform is what actually enables users to consent or opt out, and ensures those preferences are honored.
6 top consent management platforms
Choosing the best CMP comes down to how well a tool supports managing user consent across regions, integrates with your business’s tech stack, and adapts to evolving data privacy regulations. Here are six options for your business to consider:
Shopify customer privacy tools
Shopify’s ecommerce platform includes native consent management tools in all plans, making it a strong starting point for sellers. The cookie banner feature provides built-in consent banners that can be configured for site visitors in any country, while customer privacy settings allow businesses to configure privacy compliance rules within the Shopify admin, rather than managing them across multiple tools, third-party plug-ins, or code snippets individually.
Custom pixels (unique code snippets that marketers use to track user behavior across websites) use the Customer Privacy API to check buyer consent and fire only when consent is given. Shopify also integrates with Google Consent Mode (a privacy API that moderates how Google Analytics and Google Ads tags behave). For more advanced needs, businesses can install third-party CMPs via the Shopify App Store.
Pricing: Included with Shopify plans.
Termly
Termly combines a CMP with policy generation tools, making it useful for smaller, nimbler teams looking for an all-in-one privacy management platform. Its CMP includes a customizable consent banner, preference center, and tools for managing user consent across the GDPR and other regulations, including various US state laws. It offers a free plan with basic features, with paid plans unlocking more advanced features, like integrations and automation.
Pricing: Plans range from $0 to $15 per month, depending primarily on monthly banner views, with custom enterprise pricing for agency-level plans.
Usercentrics
Usercentrics focuses on usability and flexibility, making it a strong consent management platform option for mid-sized ecommerce businesses. It provides customizable consent banners and consent options, as well as built-in support for Google Consent Mode.
The platform includes automatic website scans to identify data collected and categorize third-party services on your site. This helps ensure GDPR compliance and alignment with other global regulations.
Pricing: Plans range from $8 to $56 per month. Mid-tier plans include banner customization, while upper tier plans cover multiple domains.
Cookiebot by Usercentrics
Cookiebot is Usercentrics’ less expensive and more narrowly focused cookie consent and tracking compliance service. It’s known for its automation capabilities and easy plug-in structure—meaning it can be quickly added to a website through pre-built integrations or simple code snippets, without requiring significant custom web development. Cookiebot can automatically scan your site to detect cookies and other tracking technologies and then generate a compliant consent banner and policy.
The base plan includes consent collection, consent records, and support for GDPR compliance, while more advanced features—such as multi-domain management and detailed processing reports—are available in paid tiers. It integrates easily with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, making it an especially practical choice for teams prioritizing fast privacy-program implementation.
Pricing: Plans range from $0 to $8 per month for two preset subscription packages; Cookiebot also offers custom enterprise pricing for premium plans.
OneTrust
OneTrust is an enterprise-grade CMP designed for organizations navigating multiple regulations alongside complex data processing activities. Its core platform includes data mapping (a single tool that identifies what user data your site collects, where it comes from, and which third parties have access to it), automatic website scans, workflow automation, and configurable consent banners that adapt to regional privacy regulations.
OneTrust offers advanced features like unified preference management—a centralized system for storing and applying a user’s consent choices across different tools and channels, so that enabling/blocking remains consistent. The platform also offers integrations for Google Tag Manager, a tool that lets marketers easily track data about how visitors use a site (e.g., page views, clicks, ad interactions) and other third-party data processing services. Add-ons include a vendor-risk management tool and deeper workflow automations.
Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on modules and scale.
Didomi
Didomi is specially designed for companies that run both websites and mobile apps, where the same user may interact with a brand on both. It allows businesses to capture a user’s consent once and apply those preferences consistently. For example, ensuring that if someone opts out of tracking on desktop, that choice is respected on the app as well.
Features include customizable consent banners, preference management, and integrations with major analytics and advertising platforms.
Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on modules and scale.
Consent management platform FAQ
What is consent management?
Consent management is the process of collecting, storing, and enforcing consumer consent signals for certain data processing activities that require consent.
How does a CMP work?
A consent management platform (CMP) displays a consent banner, captures explicit consent (usually through a clickable prompt), and controls data processing by enabling or blocking scripts based on user preferences.
Do ecommerce stores need a CMP?
If your store uses cookies or tracking, a consent management solution is typically required to comply with data privacy laws and maintain consent records.
