Consumers are still willing to part with their personal information, according to a new study from loyalty company Aimia. That’s despite high-profile security breaches at brands such as Target and Sony.
The study, which polled more than 24,000 respondents across 10 countries, including Canada, found 82% of consumers trusted banks with handling that type of personal information, with supermarkets coming in second at 64% and mobile phone providers third with 56% saying they can be trusted to keep the info secure. (In Canada, mobile phone providers are bumped from the top three list in favour of food and drink companies.)
Almost 65% of consumers said online search engines weren’t very trustworthy, followed by social networks at 58%.
More than half of shoppers internationally are willing to share increasingly personal information in exchange for a good reward.
That being said, while data can help brands create even more relevant and personal interaction with their customers, there’s a distinct “creepy” factor, as the study puts in. In Canada, 66% of consumers would be put off by supermarkets that send coupons to their mobiles phones, while in France, 47% say they aren’t comfortable with supermarket employees addressing them by name.
Almost a quarter of Canadians (24%) have closed an account of any kind due to data concern, the study found, in comparison to 20% globally.
Globally, web history – interestingly – tops the list as the most sensitive type of information, with 39% saying they want to protect it most. It beats income (at 30%), mobile phone number (29%), and online purchases (23%).
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