• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, December 1, 2015

Many consumers are not familiar with The Internet of Things, so marketers still have a bit of an educational task in front of them.

The following task is to determine what happens after consumers become aware.

While news of new smartwatches, data breaches and connected thermostats may catch a person’s eye in passing, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re about to buy into the concept.

However, consumers who are aware of IoT devices have some reservations, based on a new study.

Consumers familiar with the Internet of Things have issues around security and personal data collection.

The study comprised a survey of 500 U.S. consumers with gross household income over $75,000 and who also are familiar with Internet of Things devices. The survey was conducted by Google Consumer Surveys for Auth0, an identify platform company.

The majority (52%) of consumers in the know don’t believe most IoT devices in the market have the necessary security in place. And it’s not like the other half do, since only 12% do, with 36% not sure.

For personal data, the picture is somewhat different.

Most (82%) consumers don’t trust having their personal data (like health stats in a fitness tracker) tied to IoT devices and a third (33%) of those don’t use IoT devices just for that reason.  A mere 18% trust having their personal data tied to a connected device.

Interestingly, 49% who don’t trust their personal data tied to the device still use them.

A mere 18% trust having their personal data tied to a connected device.

Those familiar with IoT devices are somewhat aware of the recent breaches around the subject.

For example, recent data breaches (Target, Chrysler vehicles, etc.) have affected the trust or interest in the company breached by 58% of consumers, with no impact on the other 42%.

Most significantly, 61% of those familiar with IoT devices are not planning to purchase or use any IoT device regularly within the next two years.

It looks like following the task of educating consumers, marketers will have another hill to climb.