Consumers are beginning to erect brick walls between their personal data and brick and mortar retailers, says a new study. Some 60% of consumers surveyed by ClickFox, a customer analytics company, declared that they are not comfortable sharing the personal information they divulge on e-commerce sites with associates inside actual retail locations.
ClickFox notes that this backs up a finding from its 2013 Holiday Survey, in which 55% of consumers said they planned to do their shopping online.
Owing to its holiday data breach affecting up to 110 million shoppers, Target was named the least trustworthy retailer by survey respondent. They awarded votes of confidence, meanwhile, to Amazon, Walmart, and their local supermarkets.
Consumers said they are most willing to share personal data with retailers that have provided them positive experiences (37%) or with whom they share a sense of brand loyalty (32%). Store staffing appears to be the chief brewer of mistrust among shoppers; 39% named unmotivated staff and 25% said lack of staff training led to negative feelings for retail brands.
“Consumers do not forget negative experiences, whether it’s a data breach or a lousy in-store experience,” observes ClickFox CMO Joe Galvin. “They’ll continue to resist sharing their data with retailers and may opt out of promotional campaigns until they see the personal and immediate benefits doing so.”
The ClickFox 2014 Brand Loyalty Survey audited 312 consumers in February on shifting consumer attitudes toward in-store behaviors. Respondents were 46 percent male and 54 percent female.
