In the dark this Black Friday? Almost half of younger consumers will give false data to brands

More than a third of UK consumers will not use their primary email address when signing up to brand communications, meaning marketers hoping to gain fresh data on new consumers will not get the reach they need.

A survey of 2,000 consumers also found that one in four will intentionally give false data about themselves to brands, with this rising to almost half (45%) among those potential shoppers aged 18 to 34. 

The research, part of a report from Treasure Data, reveals just how protective of their personal data consumers can be, with 47% of Brits admitting they deliberately try to withhold it from the brands they communicate with.

The customer data platform’s (CDP) Director of Marketing EMEA and India, Andrew Stephenson noted that marketers have an “elaborate concoction of obstacles in their hands” with consumer actions contributing to issues around data collection and accuracy alongside the looming recession.

Stephenson said: “It’s imperative that brands demonstrate accordingly the importance of data sharing – and the value Brits will receive in return for doing so – through personalised, helpful content. If not, brands risk Black Friday being a damp squib at a time when its success is most critical.” 

Stop the noise

With one in five (19%) of those surveyed stating they will unsubscribe from a brand’s mailing list within a week if content served to them wasn’t relevant, it’s clear that consumers are staying lean with their details, and that there is little tolerance for those missing the mark.

A further 43% of Brits are also clear that less than 10% of the content they get from brands makes them click through – meaning lazy, untargeted communications will not make the cut. This is particularly concerning when considering that 51% of Brits told the survey they receive between one and ten brand communications each day, and 72% think that less than half of what they get is relevant or appropriate for them.

Stephenson warned of the uphill battle for marketers to ensure that the valuable data they do hold isn’t put in jeopardy by content that “simply isn’t fit for purpose”.  

“There are several ways that brands can tackle this – from exploring the tools on the market that take customer data and create actionable insights, to upskilling and empowering marketing teams to understand what to do with what they have,” explained Stephenson. “As we ride the upcoming recession into the next couple of years, data management is going to be one of the key battlegrounds for brands where consumer loyalty and advocacy is won or lost.”