Consumers wary of behavioural ads

woman on laptopLess than a quarter of consumers are willing to let advertisers use their online browsing data to show them targeted ads, despite the vast majority accepting that most websites are only able to offer free content because of the ads they run.
That is according to a new study by Trust-e, designed to gauge consumer trust online, which shows that although consumers are becoming slightly more receptive, there is still much work to be done in convincing them that this is the way forward.
It also found that there is a significant gap between who users hold accountable for privacy protection and who they trust.
UK Internet users hold website owners and publishers (77%) as well as social networks (74%) most responsible for protecting their privacy. However, just after half (43%) recognise that it is their own responsibility to ensure their own data remains safe, with the Government (on 15%) and self-regulatory organisations (8%) not figuring strongly.
Nevertheless, nearly a third (30%) have stopped doing business with a company or website because of privacy concerns, and 79% of users expect companies to comply with the so-called Cookie Directive.
When it comes to online behavioural ads, over half (53%) would be inclined to do more business with an advertiser or publisher that gave them the option to opt out and 49% would be more inclined to click on advertisement which gave them the option to opting out.
Trust-e chief executive Chris Babel said: “As demonstrated time and time again through numerous privacy firestorms, online companies that don’t clearly explain what’s happening with customer data or fully inform users of their choices contribute to a climate of fear and distrust. As our research shows, we think that by listening and responding to what users want, we can eliminate that fear and increase trust in the ever growing data economy.”

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4 Comments on "Consumers wary of behavioural ads"

  1. Behavoural advertisers still struggling to convince consumers http://t.co/rutMpPJjqa #digitalmarketing #datamarketing #directmarketing

  2. RT @DM_editor: Behavoural advertisers still struggling to convince consumers http://t.co/rutMpPJjqa #digitalmarketing #datamarketing #direc…

  3. RT @DM_editor: Behavoural advertisers still struggling to convince consumers http://t.co/rutMpPJjqa #digitalmarketing #datamarketing #direc…

  4. Consumers wary of behavioural ads… but isn’t that just because we’re doing it wrong? It’s time to get smarter… http://t.co/kL7ffne7wu

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