Consumers Willing to Give Up Data for Benefits

Retail. Banking. Healthcare. Who do we trust more with our personal data? It all depends on who can give us more benefits. 

These are the conclusions of a survey of 5,000 digital consumers in five countries conducted by Infosys. The survey found that, of all global consumers, U.S. consumers are the most comfortable sharing their personal information. 

For example:

• 89% of U.S. consumers are willing to share personal information while making a purchase online.
  
• 83% are willing to share personal information when interacting with their bank online.
  
• 77% are willing to share personal information when interacting with their regular doctor’s office online. 

As more and more companies integrate online and offline (print) data, this willingness to share personal data, regardless of channel, is a huge benefit. This positively impacts every aspect of companies’ multi-channel marketing efforts. 

But if you’re selling “across the pond,” don’t look for quite the same openness. British consumers are less willing to share their personal information (especially with their doctors), and if you’re marketing into France, they are even less so. Only 75% of French consumers are willing to share personal information with online retailers, dropping to 62% for banks and 60% with doctors. 

But still, even for these more skeptical consumers, these numbers are pretty darn good. Consequently, even these data are good news for marketers. Consumers are simply more and more willing to give up data if they get something in return. 

Source: Engaging with Digital Consumers (Infosys, 2013)

1:1 Campaigns Are Easier Than Ever

It used to be that, in order to create powerful 1:1 print campaigns, you had to be both a marketing wizard and a database master. No more. Today, the software does much of the database work for you. The secret is in the Web portal where your content, your templates, and your data are maintained in a centralized location with easy-to-use interfaces. 

The process starts by brainstorming a marketing project and working with us to set up the rules, develop layouts, and pre-approve content, such as text blocks, images, and databases. Then you (or anyone in your company you choose to give access to) can log in, make selections about what is to be included in the marketing piece, and click “OK.” 

If the user wants to customize the piece (change colors, headlines, or other elements), this can be done within pre-set limits that you determine. Personalization can often be applied by using drop-down menus that, with a little training, anyone in your staff can use. Once the project is complete, you check out as you would at any other online store. 

Making 1:1 marketing easier is that, using templates and rules, the person ordering the marketing materials isn’t necessarily the same person who designs it. With everything pre-defined, the order process is straightforward and simple, even for novice users. Often, all you have to do is fill out basic information and use the drop-down menus provided for you. 

Elements are flowed in, the rules applied, and the piece produced and shipped to the right location automatically.

This workflow requires a time investment to set up, but we’ll be there to help you. 

What’s important to understand is that the barriers to entry are lowering for 1:1 print marketing. Software has come a long way, and it’s making personalization easier and more accessible than ever.