By the Stats: How Do Your Customers Feel About Information Shared With Third Parties?

Twenty-seven percent of consumers say a trusted online merchant should never share their personal customer information with a third party without the consumer’s express permission, according to “The Online Consumer Permissions Study,” a research report released by the Ponemon Institute earlier this year. In all, 1,799 consumers age 18 and older were surveyed. Other findings include:

* 89% of consumers would approve of information sharing without their permission to improve the quality of services or products offered.
* 84% to helped reduce incidents of identity theft.
* 71% to conduct research that helps a company better understand its customers’ preferences.
* 62% to provide product information or special promotional offers to the customer.
* 40% to research the appropriate target market for promotions and offers.
* 32% to improve the ability of a company to better profile customers for marketing purposes.
* 20% to track customers’ buying behavior to influence their future purchasing decisions.

Source: Ponemon Institute, www.ponemon.org, (520) 290-3400.