• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 13, 2022

A whopping 83% of consumers will share their email address in return for discounts, member benefits and product suggestions. But it is easy to turn them off, judging by 2022 Consumer Behavior Trends, a study released Thursday by Treasure Data.  

For instance, shoppers are concerned about:

• Too many targeted or non-relevant advertisements or communications from brand — 57% 
• Security/fraud — 64% 
• Selling my data to other companies — 54%
• I don’t share data, I am too concerned about data privacy — 58%
• No or little concern, I understand the value exchange — 29%

Still, 63% say they are satisfied with how accurately messaging from brands reflect their wants and needs. But even here, 29% say, “Sometimes they are 50/50 on accuracy.”

At the same time, 68% appreciate proactive alerts and notifications about sales, offers and upcoming launches. And 16% find alerts beneficial when they are trying to buy something specific. 

Moreover, 82% say loyalty/reward programs motivate them to buy more from brands. 

Here’s one question that may confuse some observers. Asked where they learn about new products, 64% say “From brand marketing (email promotions, TV advertisements.” Email and TV shouldn’t be lumped together in the same answer. 

But another 58% cite social media or influencers, 57% also learn about new products while in-store and 54% from online or print articles. And 29% indicate word-of-mouth. 

Asked to list the top three things they want from the brand experience this year, they cite:

1. More discounts and offers
2. Continuation/expansion of hybrid shopping offerings, such as curbside pickup
3. Expanded loyalty programs 

Among shopping options, they are relying more on:

• Direct to consumer — 68%
• Omni-shopping, like “buy online, pickup in store” or “curbside pickup” — 60% 
• Social media — 59% 
• In-app — 62%
• Contactless commerce — 57% 

But 19% plan to use social media less as a shopping choice, and 17% apiece say the same about omni-shopping and contactless commerce. 

On another front, most consumers seem willing to stick with a brand even during the global supply chain crisis. Here’s what they do when a product is out of stock:

Wait until available again. This is my preferred brand an dI know their product will be the best — 48%

Buy something similar form my preferred bread instead — 31% 

Buy the product from another brand/retailer to get it sooner. Brand name doesn’t matter — 21%  

In another finding reflecting a societal issue, 71% say they have considered financing in the last year, as in “buy now, pay later” services.

Treasure Data, a customer data platform, surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers in December 2021. Of these, 60% were male and 40% female. They varied in age from 16-17 (0.3%), 18-24 (13.5%), 25-34 (25.9%), 35-44 (43%), 45-54 (8.5%) and 54+ (8.8%).