How do cookies benefit analytics tools like Google Analytics?

• A. Cookies store company financial data for access by marketers.
• B. Cookies delete user data after each session.
• C. Cookies keep a record of user sessions and device information, enabling the collection of session start and traffic source data.
• D. Cookies are only used for login authentication and have no analytics use.

Answer: (C)

Cookies are small text files that let analytics tools recognize returning visitors and track how people move through a site. They keep a record of user sessions and device information, enabling the collection of session start and traffic source data. In practice, a cookie holds a unique identifier for a user; as that user browses, each page view and interaction gets tied to that same ID. This allows the analytics tool to determine when a session begins, how long it lasts, which pages were visited, and what brought the user to the site—whether a direct visit, a search engine, or a marketing campaign. The cookie also helps capture device details like browser and operating system, so reports can show how people access the site across different devices. This capability is foundational for measuring engagement, attribution, and overall site performance.

Other statements don’t fit because cookies aren’t only for login authentication, and they aren’t automatically deleted after each session. Analytics relies on cookies that can persist across visits to attribute a user over time, while some session cookies end when the browser closes but many analytics setups use persistent cookies to track returning users and ongoing behavior. Storing sensitive financial data in cookies is not how analytics operates.