In a recent survey conducted by Communispace consumers were asked this question, “If you could click on a “Do Not Track” button to prevent browsers from capturing your online searching and purchasing history, would you?” The question, obviously, is attempting to see what percentage of people like the fact that this information is gathered, and then used for advertisements, search suggestions and other services, primarily marketing.
The results of the survey found that 87% of people would click that “Do Not Track” button. The survey was given to 8343 consumers from multiple countries (the US making up the majority of respondents). There were other questions given during the survey as well, one of which asked whether responders would be willing to pay a premium or surcharge to prevent marketers from capturing this data. 30% of responders said they would be willing to pay something.
Specifically, 30% said they would pay companies a 5% premium for a guarantee that their personal data would not be captured concerning their purchase. Whether this is something major brands might consider in the future is not known, but it may be a great up sell. Especially since this would have little to do with the data collection done by normal searching.
The survey also broke down the results by the consumer’s age, finding that older generations are more likely to be willing to pay that 5% premium. The millennial’s (age 13-31) responded that they would pay a premium only about 20% of the time, whereas the ‘silent’ generation (68+) was nearly 40%. If brands offered a 5% discount for voluntarily sharing personal data, however, the millennial generation is much more likely to participate, at nearly 70%.
While it is certainly no surprise that a growing number of consumers are becoming more privacy conscious, this survey helps to identify the consumer mindset much more clearly. Marketers can use this information to tailor offers, and even create custom privacy options for their customers.
