More than one-third (37%) of U.S. consumers have unsubscribed from a mailing list due to irrelevant marketing messages, dotdigital data reveals
New York, Aug. 27, 2021 – Despite growing concerns around data sharing, a desire for personalized customer experiences means an increasing number of U.S. shoppers are happy to share personal information in exchange for an improved online shopping experience, reveals the latest report from dotdigital, the leading multichannel marketing automation platform.
Original research collected from more than 2,000 U.S. consumers in the dotdigital “Rise of the responsible marketer” report reveals that 56% of respondents said they had become increasingly mistrustful of how companies share data over the last year.
However, with growing societal concerns over physical and mental health post-pandemic, consumers want products and services tailored to their needs. Nearly two-fifths (39%) said they didn’t mind giving data to brands if there was a value exchange and they got something in return.
This is reflective of what Euromonitor calls “private personalization” – the paradox of consumers wanting content and communication to be relevant to them, accepting that there is a tradeoff in sharing private information, and yet still wanting their privacy guarded. Forty percent of U.S. respondents said they would not mind giving up data if it made the online experience more personal, however 29% still said this wouldn’t be enough to make them feel comfortable handing their information over.
In total, 75% of U.S. consumers surveyed reported shopping more online in the past year due to the pandemic, with more than one-third (35%) of online shoppers saying they saw providing personal data as simply part of the online shopping process.
Marketers face the dual challenge of providing enhanced personalization without compromising customer privacy. The answer is providing an unlimited number of consumer marketing preferences, which in turn create infinite opportunities to enrich customer data.
“By encouraging shoppers to share as much information as possible, they can craft their own customized journey, and the data can be used to create relevant and targeted segments,” said Tink Taylor, founder and president, dotdigital Group. “ By utilizing tools such as double opt-in, which asks the customer to confirm that they want to receive marketing and are fully informed about what they are signing up to receive, and live chat, which promotes two-way conversations that can be used to form stronger connections with audiences, customers are in control of their relationship with a brand or retailer. Understanding this mix of consumer sentiment and responding accordingly is critical to building communications and campaigns that engender, earn and sustain trust.”
For more actionable insights on consumer sentiment on data, privacy and how brands must put data stewardship at the heart of their marketing efforts to reassure consumers and build the long-term meaningful relationships that drive loyalty, download the full report: “Rise of the responsible marketer” here.
Methodology: Research of 2,000 U.S adults, segmented by age, gender and region, was conducted by Savanta on behalf of dotdigital in May 2021.
About dotdigital
dotdigital is a leader in omnichannel marketing automation technology. dotdigital Engagement Cloud is the platform of choice for businesses seeking to engage customers across all touchpoints. The platform’s features empower 4,000+ brands across 150 countries to acquire, convert, and retain customers. Users can connect customer data, surface powerful insights, and automate intelligent messages across email, SMS, social, and more. dotdigital is a global company with over 350 employees, serving companies of all sizes and in all verticals for over 20 years. We are the world’s first carbon neutral, ISO14001 & ISO27001 certified marketing automation platform and we see sustainability, privacy & security as key tenets to our long-term growth.