The Value of Personal Data: Savvy ANZ Consumers Cautious, but in Control

A recent multi-country survey on Consumer Trust by leading technology provider Genesys® unearthed the unique regional sentiment of Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) customers towards the use of their personal data. When and how data is used by organisations ultimately determines if consumers are willing to share their details, however, ANZ respondents had the highest level of awareness (more than 80%) that their personal data is being shared with various platforms.

We say who, we say when, we say how much

Though Australian and New Zealand customers had many similar views with other countries surveyed (USA, UK, Japan & Germany), their reluctance to share data with social media sites and apps differed greatly. Both New Zealand and Australians are “aware, but do not like” that the use of games and quizzes on social media sites such as Facebook gives automatic access to one’s data; there was a 27% difference between the most concerned (New Zealand at 57%) and least concerned (Japan at 30%).

In contrast to the US and Japan where 20% of residents allow location data on every app which solicits it, only 11% of Australians and 12% of New Zealanders consistently allow location tracking, the lowest among all markets. Likewise, the number of those who allow location tracking on some apps but not others or no apps at all, are consistent in indicating our overall desire for control over location privacy.

Knowing the value of data 

While Australian and New Zealand consumers are often grouped together in behaviour and motivation, the Genesys survey showed they differ in how they value their personal data. Australian respondents place a high premium on privacy, with 44% acknowledging they expect services to take longer and be costlier due to their value of privacy. Whereas, New Zealand respondents value saving money more, with 43% signing up for discounts and freebies, knowing companies probably are sharing their personal data with partners. 

New Zealand respondents stood out from the rest of the markets in being the least keen (23%) for businesses to share their information with partners who offer similar or related products or services which might interest them without their permission.

In the event of data being misused or used without consent, 46% of Australians believe monetary compensation would prove a company truly understands the annoyance and risk they caused whereas, 46% of New Zealanders believe a public apology would demonstrate a company’s understanding. 

Australians and New Zealanders are both willing to share their personal data with organisations, however, they do expect something in return – 41% of Australians and 40% of New Zealanders would value being paid by companies in exchange for their data.

Concerned, but not deterred.

In line with the global average, 91% of Australians and New Zealanders are concerned companies are “abusing” their data and approximately half have become increasingly more concerned over the past 5 years.

In response, more than half of ANZ respondents admit to taking active steps to prevent companies from tracking their online behaviour such as disabling cookies, and 65% in both countries make an effort to read privacy statements “sometimes” or “all the time”.

Despite concerns, just over half of Australian and New Zealand respondents agree they would continue doing business with an organisation who had accidentally leaked their data.

-ENDS-

Research results: 

Press and analysts may request a copy of each country’s survey findings from the Genesys media relations team. For Australia and New Zealand contact: genesys@zadroagency.com.au 

Research Methodology:  

The online survey was conducted by Wakefield Research in April 2020. Participants were 5,000 adults ages 18+, balanced by gender, in the following markets: 1,000 in the U.S., and 800 each in Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.K.  

About Genesys 

Every year, Genesys® delivers more than 70 billion remarkable customer experiences for organisations in over 100 countries. Through the power of the cloud and AI, our technology connects every customer moment across marketing, sales and service on any channel, while also improving employee experiences. Genesys pioneered Experience as a ServiceSM so organisations of any size can provide true personalisation at scale, interact with empathy, and foster customer trust and loyalty. This is enabled by Genesys CloudTM, an all-in-one solution and the world’s leading public cloud contact centre platform, designed for rapid innovation, scalability and flexibility. Visit www.genesys.com/en-sg. 

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Media contacts 

Genesys APAC 

Manali Pattnaik, Senior Public Relations Manager, APAC 
Genesys 
manali.pattnaik@genesys.com  
+65 8321 7924 | +65 9126 9831  

Australia 

Yvette Schlegelmilch, Account Manager 
ZADRO 
yvette@zadroagency.com.au 
+61 423 954 224 

Oakley Grioli, Account Coordinator
ZADRO
oakley@zadroagency.com.au 
+61 434 295 302