• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 24, 2020

Common wisdom is that consumers are wary about sharing information on themselves, and are tired of hearing from companies. 

It’s not true. On the contrary, two-thirds of shoppers have given their email addresses to gain access to promotions, according to a survey by digital marketing agency Adlucent.  And those email addresses are valuable when properly used.

“Brands can use consumers’ emails to personalize interactions throughout the customer journey,” writes Jason Roussos, SVP of strategy at Adlucent, in an article on TotalRetail.

In addition, “leveraging this data for email marketing can provide an opportunity to send customers and prospects more brand and product information,” Roussos says.

Roussos adds that “by uploading customer emails into Google, Facebook or other digital advertising platforms, retailers can also retarget existing customers or build look-a-like audiences to reach similar consumers.”

Of course, these attitudes transcend email. Of the consumers polled,46.7% want relevant ads on sites they access for free. And that’s a major finding, as 40% have clicked on an ad prior to making a purchase. 

Roussos argues that “advertising has become such a native part of platforms that consumers don’t always distinguish paid placement from organic content when they engage.”

This means creative should be “customized for each platform and personalized to each individual,” Roussos says.

For their part, younger consumers would rather share information to get a better experience than pay for access or be bombarded with irrelevant content, Roussos writes. That said, “younger consumers accept promotional messages as part of browsing online,” Roussos notes. 

In fact, shoppers ages 34 and under see personalization as a requirement, whereas older generations simply prefer it.

But speaking of those younger folk, over 50% shop at night and only 5.6% shop in the morning. They tend to scroll on mobile to catch up with things at the end of the day. 

In addition, 51% take two to six days to make a high-ticket purchase, with most topping out at $200 and 25% hitting the $500 mark. The lesson? Those late-night hours are research time, "and provide an opportunity for brands to re-engage,” Roussos says.

Roussos concludes that great personalization “often goes unnoticed by the consumer and is part of a smooth online experience.”

Adlucent surveyed 900 U.S. consumers ages 18-64.