Marketers face dilemma as users refuse to share information online

Consumers are increasingly choosing to interact anonymously online, with almost two out of five now unwilling to share any personal information when setting up a social media account, according to a recent survey conducted by the Direct Marketing Association and fast.Map.

A poll of 1,032 consumers undertaken by the Direct Marketing Association and online researcher fast.Map reveals that individuals are becoming progressively less prepared to share the kind of data, such as names, postal and email addresses, that marketers have been capturing for years via other channels.

Some 31 per cent say that they would refuse to share even their name when requesting further information online, while 27 per cent always or frequently provide only the bare essentials to obtain the information required.

Chris Combermale, the DMA’s executive director, says: "The mechanics of data capture is changing fast. That’s predominantly because social media is shifting consumers’ expectations. Many now like to interact online in an anonymous fashion without providing any personal information."

This means that old certainties, such as an individual’s personal information always being available, accessible and usable, are being eroded by technology that has put consumers back in control, he adds.

"Moving forward, marketers need to reverse the value exchange, so must build trust with consumers first before asking for personal data. Only once engagement has taken place and trust earned will it become possible to start a real conversation and obtain data," Combermale says.

The study indicates that 54 per cent of customers see trust in a brand as the single most important factor when deciding whether or not to share personal data with it.

Paul Seabrook, fast.Map’s co-founder, says that consumers have woken up to the commercial benefits that such information provides to third parties, and so are becoming increasingly proactive about protecting it.

"Because consumers see themselves as responsible for looking after their own interests – rather than brands, the Government or trade bodies – marketers need to apply common sense and show clear pillars of trust and benefits when collecting personal data. If they don’t, gradually more consumers will exercise their right to not share their information," he warns.

The bi-annual Data Tracking Study was sponsored by consumer credit agency Equifax and marketing services provider Communisis.

Editor’s note:

This survey again highlights the importance both of adopting a broad mix of communications media (and not simply focusing on online to generate leads), and of understanding – and being sensitive to – Data Publishers Association (DPA) guidelines on opting out.

 

This article by Cath Everett was first published by leading online business-to-business publisher MyCustomer.com and is reproduced here with their kind permission.

 

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