Survey: Consumers will share data with retailers if...
A majority of consumers would be willing to share their data and browsing activity with a retailer for the right reason.
A new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults from search and discovery platform Algolia reveals that 58% of respondents have found a retailer’s personalized recommendations to be “creepy,” though 37% have bought an item that was recommended to them based on their previous browsing and purchasing activity.
Nearly six-in-10 (58%) consumers would be willing to share their data and browsing activity with a retailer for the right reason, while 19% of respondents said they would never share their data with a website. To make consumers more willing to share data with a retail website, consumers reported they want complete transparency on how their data will be used (54%), information on the website’s data security and privacy practices (35%), and access to a loyalty program and its perks (29%). Other transparency desires include free samples or trials (27%), one-off discounts or offers (24%), and more personalized/relevant recommendations (20%).
Additionally, 60% of shoppers would use a “thumbs up/thumbs down” feature on a retailer’s website, aiding in future recommendations - but only 6% say their favorite retailers already use this feature.
According to the survey, consumers would be willing to share the following information with a retail website for a more personalized experience: Their shopping preferences based on what they pick and choose on that website (49%), purchase history on that website (33%), browsing history on that website (31%), and direct feedback and reviews (22%). Only a small number of consumers (23%) aren’t willing to share any information with retailers for a more personalized experience.
Nearly four-in-10 consumers (37%) told Algolia they don't mind websites asking for cookie consent as long as it's clear. While this number increases among Gen Z at 49%, there's still only 10% who say they feel positive about it because they like the transparency. That number also differs greatly across generations, with only 4% of Baby Boomers feeling positive about cookie consent.
The majority (53%) of those surveyed feel annoyed when asked for cookie consent - with 30% saying they’re tired of popups and 23% not wanting websites to use their data. Twenty-one percent of consumers always accept cookies - without understanding what it means.