Marketers often ask for a variety of personal information from consumers, but customer engagement in general could be in jeopardy based on a new study from Verint Systems.
A global study of consumers revealed that nearly half (48%) are suspicious about how companies use their data. Based on a poll of more than 18,000 consumers across 
nine countries, the research—commissioned by Verint Systems and conducted by analyst and consultancy firm Ovum and U.K.-based research company Opinium—found that one in five consumers don’t trust any businesses to keep their information safe. This indicates that brands have some way to go to build consumer trust.
Given the wide range of views held by consumers, the Verint study shows that companies need to ensure they tailor their engagements with customers regarding data assurance—particularly in more skeptical markets, such as the UK and Germany.
“Recent high-profile, data-related business cases have shed new light on the importance consumers attach to data protection,” said Nick Nonini, managing director, EMEA, Verint Enterprise Intelligence Solutions. “With this latest research, Verint has created a view into the ‘New Rules of Customer Engagement.’ Adopting such an approach can help ensure greater transparency over the use of customer data and help organizations build trust and confidence in this increasingly challenging environment.”
According to the study, the research found that less than half of consumers (43%) trust their bank to keep their data safe, the highest of all the sectors covered by the survey. Trust significantly declines to just 2% for online and in-store retailers and 3% for utilities companies.
“In today’s environments, organizations need to focus on laying foundations for customer relationships that are based on trust,” Nonini added. “This comes down to getting the basics right, leveraging technology and analytics to better understand what is really on the minds of customers, and then working to help ensure the right resources are in place to address evolving needs, issues and requirements.”
The study included interviews among 18,038 consumers in the following countries: Germany (2,006), France (2,001), Netherlands (2,002), Poland (2,001), UK (2,004), South Africa (2,010), U.S. (2,007), Australia (2,007), and New Zealand (2,000). The research was conducted online, in the local language for each area and respondents were incentivized to participate.