• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 1, 2018

Most GDPR surveys came out prior to implementation. Here is one that was done after the fact: DATA Privacy And The GDPR, by Demand Metric, in partnership with DemandBase. Conducted in June, it shows that while awareness is high, troubling questions remain.

For example, only 35% are asking everyone to re-consent to be on email lists. But 35% are taking a country-by-country approach and 30% are not refreshing email consent.

In addition, a paltry 32% say they are fully compliant with GDPR. Most are trying — 15% have implemented their plan but are not fully complying, and 22% are in the process of putting in a plan. Another 10% are in the planning stages, and 6% have not started yet. 

Yet 78% are aware of GDPR. And 60% say they are changing their global approach to privacy in light of the regulation.

The biggest hurdle to complying with GDPR is simply understanding it. Asked to list their top three challenges, 57% say they have trouble grasping the guidelines and restrictions. 

In addition, 44% cite data management and 40% acquiring consent from users. Another 40% are blocked by technology barriers, 33% by staffing/resource constraints and 29% by retaining consent from users. 

Only 25% complain of budget constraints and 24% of communications issues. Finally, 23% lack training and 21% cite acquiring leads.

There is another area of concern — 80% fear that their marketing tech vendors might expose them to legal risks under GRPD. But only 9% are extremely concerned and 20% moderately so. Another 20% are not at all bothered. 

Yet they are expending resources to comply. The biggest budget item is technology — 74% are investing in it. And 40% are putting money into legal, 39% into staffing resources and 21% into consultants. Only 12% are making no investments.

In one sign of good faith, most firms say they are protecting customer and prospect data because consumers expect them to. Here is the list of reasons:

• Customer expectations — 73%
• Legal responsibilities — 71% 
• Government legislation — 61% 
• Customer rights — 59% 
• Benefits to the consumer — 51%
• Benefits to my organization — 44%
• Potential fines/damages — 39%
• Data strategy — 34%
• Executive influence — 15% 
• Other — 5% 

Demand Metric will present the full findings in a webinar on Aug. 22.