• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 1, 2022

Consumers are of two minds about privacy. 

On the one hand, 61% are concerned about protecting their information, and 49% say that data privacy is more important to them than personalization. Yet 53% expect a personalized experience every time they engage with a brand, according to  a study released Monday by Braze: How Transparency Can Help Consumers Understand the Balance Between Privacy and Personalization. 

Many consumers take actions to protect their privacy. For instance, 39% always click “opt-out” or “ask not to track” in an app, and 52% sometimes do. But 47% will most likely “accept all cookies” when prompted to prior to browsing a website, while 21% will choose to “view more options.”  

Why do they accept tracking or cookies? For 52%, it’s because they want access to loyalty programs or perks. And 37% say they are interested in a personalized experience and communications. 

But 24% simply find it too time-consuming to figure out how to opt out. And it’s no wonder why. 

“Following the advent of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and privacy laws in California, Colorado and Virginia, more and more websites are asking web visitors to ‘accept all cookies’ or ‘view more options’ before allowing them to access a webpage,” the study states. Apps are a little different—most offer an opt-out or ask not to track option. 

Meanwhile, 71% report they are more likely to buy or engage with a brand that provides personalized communications via tailored email and targeted social media, 23% very much so. 

Do people know what they’re really consenting to when they opt in to sharing data? For 53%, the answers is “sometimes.” And 38% are always aware. Only 9% say they never are.

Consumers are most likely to opt in to apps in these verticals:

• Retail—58%
• Financial services—49% 
• Streaming services—44%

The study concludes that brands should start “priming users" before asking to collect any data.  

What does that mean?  

“Primers are targeted campaigns—usually sent via in-app messaging or in-browser messaging on mobile and the web, respectively—that are surfaced by brands to ‘prime’ recipients with context and information around why they’re being asked for their data and how it will be used to support their customer experience,” the study explains. 

Braze and  Dynata surveyed 1,000 consumers in June 2022.