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2017 Consumer Digital

Usage and Behavior Study


Contents

Introduction 1

Methodology 2

Chapter 1: How consumers view and


nd use email and mobile 3-9

Chapter 2: General consumer


consu er actions and attitudes 10-13

messaging
Chapter 3: How consumers interact with messagin 14-18

attitudess
Chapter 4: Teens, Boomers, and email attitud 19-23

security
Chapter 5: Consumer privacy and securit 24-34

Conclusion 35

Adestra 36
Introduction

One of the most important aspects of First-Person However, these studies have a fatal flaw – they
Marketing is understanding the consumer in as provide no context in which marketers can compare
many ways as possible. That means knowing not just attitudes among all the gateways consumers use to
what they think about a brand or the products and interact with brands, and how those attitudes vary
services offered under that brand, but their attitudes among different channels.
about the many forms of technology that bring
This study lays out major trends in consumer usage
them into contact with that brand.
and behavior of different technologies and devices
First-Person Marketers understand their customer in digital (web and email), mobile, and social media.
universe, whether they operate in the business We hope you use the insights and statistics
world of B2B or connect with consumers in B2C contained herein to understand and anticipate shifts
marketing. This understanding comes in part from in the general population. We also hope you
the marketing intelligence gathered from the compare these insights against what you have
people who subscribe to a brand's email, visit the learned about your specific customer base.
website, attend special events, interact on the
These will be most helpful as you continually test and
phone and in face-to-face encounters.
evolve your own marketing program to reflect the
Another significant and enlightening source of needs of your customers, which is a hallmark of
intelligence comes from knowing people's becoming a First-Person Marketer.
behaviors and attitudes on subjects beyond a
brand's self-interest, such as studies that examine
people's attitudes, preferences, and behaviors
regarding email.

01 moreinfo@adestra.com
Methodology

This survey was conducted over a 14-day period starting on January 5, 2017. Likely-qualified respondents
from a national panel of volunteer participants were invited to complete the survey.
We sought a total of 1,200 interviews, and actually completed 1,245. We grouped the respondents into three
age categories. Respondents were also asked to identify in which region of the US they live:

Percent of Region of Percent of


Age Group
All Respondents the US All Respondents
14 to 18 33% East 29%
19 to 34 34% Midwest 24%
56 to 67 34% West/Pacific 24%
South 23%

*Please note, while we have aimed to give as granular analysis as possible throughout, some of the numbers
in this report are averages across all three age groupings.

02 moreinfo@adestra.com
Chapter 1: How
consumers view
and use email and
mobile

In this section, we asked a number of personal


questions that put email and mobile use into
specific contexts that marketers can use to redefine
and refocus their messaging strategies.
We didn't want to know only that consumers use
smartphones (we know they do), but when and how
they use them. We learned in 2016 that consumers
check email all day long; this year we learned what
else they're doing when they check email.

Expect to find a few surprises in this chapter. Pay


attention to the questions that reveal consumers
have multiple email addresses – and that those
email addresses are not created equally.

03 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q1: Do you own a smartphone and if so, which of the following activities do you use it for?
Smartphones are in nearly everyone’s hands as of the end of 2016. Mobile isn’t just smartphones though:
over half the people in our survey said they have tablets and use them regularly.
It is no surprise therefore, that the results for this question are consistent year-over-year – people are very
active on their phones and use them for every capability they have. From social media to personal email, to
browsing and texting, the mobile device is becoming the center of the universe.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


When we say "mobile-first," we mean people are thinking mobile, not just desktops, even among
the older demographics. Review your message templates to see how well they render on mobile,
and upgrade where necessary.

Personal telephone calls 93.6%

Send and receive texts 90.2%

Browse the internet 85.0%

Personal email 83.8%

Social media 76.1%

Apps 72.6%

Chatting with friends 62.0%

Business telephone calls 38.2%

Business email 34.0%


*All respondents
Daily deal sites 24.5%
(Check all that apply)

04 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q2: Which of the following activities do you use your smartphone for THE MOST?
This is a new question in our survey, designed to tease out which activities consumers said they use most
often on their phones.
Unsurprisingly, texting came in at the No. 1 activity overall, with email ranking fourth below texting, social
media, and phone calls. But look who's using their phones primarily to text – Baby Boomers! Not teens and
Millennials, which you may have predicted.
Baby Boomers are more likely to use their phones for personal communications – phone calls (34%), texting
(28%), and email (14%), while teens use the phone more to check in via social media (40%), texting (24%), and
Internet browsing (9%).
This leads to a whole new topic: What is a smartphone? Baby Boomers see it as a phone they carry around
with them. Teens see the phone as their gateway to the wider world.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Understand these differing views of the smartphone when developing messaging programs for
them. Are customers more likely to view the phone as a connection device or a gateway? This also
has implications for how consumers are likely to view the different types of messaging channels
available to marketers on the smartphone.

24.1%
Send and receive texts 23.1%
28.1%
39.8%
Social Media 22.1%
7.5%
8.1%
Personal telephone calls 18.5%
34.4%
9.3%
Browse the internet 14.4%
4.6%
2.9%
Personal email 9.4%
13.8%
8.1%
Apps 7.5%
4.8%
7.1%
Chatting with friends 1.2%
0.7%
0.2%
Business telephone calls 1.9%
3.9%
0.2% Age range of respondents
Business email 1.7% 14-18
1.7%
-- 19-34
Linking to business services 0.2% 56-67
0.5%

05 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q3: What email provider do you primarily use?


Once again, Gmail is the top email provider across all generations. For teens, Gmail rules over all other
providers with an 84% share because they see Google-branded products as the cool thing.
Baby Boomers, who have been doing email for nearly three decades, have seen the rise and fall of AOL,
Hotmail, Yahoo, and other services and remain more fragmented. However, they, too, are gravitating to
Gmail (43% this year, compared with 28% in 2016).

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Master Gmail if you want your messages to reach your subscribers, no matter how old they are.
Yes, Gmail is also the service that makes some marketers nervous given its rigorous spam filtering
and its tabbed inboxes, but we're now seeing new research about the effects these innovations
are having on email performance. The news isn't all bad, we promise! Regardless, it's still the one
you have to get right.
If you don't already know what percentage of your readers view your email through Gmail, run a
domain report. Also, get with your deliverability gurus to see how well you deliver into Gmail and
your other major domains, and start working on ways to raise those numbers.

83.5%
Age range of respondents

77.3%
14-18
19-34
56-67

42.5%
22.6%
13.7%

12.8%
11.3%

6.9%

5.8%
4.6%

4.2%
3.4%

2.2%
2.2%

1.9%

1.7%
0.7%

1.2%
0.5%

0.7%

0.2%

Comcast iCloud AOL Other yahoo Outlook Google


(Hotmail) (Gmail)

06 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q4: How many personal and business email addresses do you have?
The major finding for this question is that consumers have on average three or more email addresses. This is
higher than what we learned in Adestra's 2016 Consumer Report, where we found 39% of consumers had two
addresses, and 20% had three.
This could result from different audiences being polled in different years, but it's also important for marketers
to understand that consumers have and use more than one email address.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


This is a key point in First-Person Marketing: using the email address to identify the consumer
across big data points. If you know it's the default for a consumer to have more than one email
address, you must admit the possibility that your customers might be giving you their least
valuable email addresses. That can hurt your ability to communicate effectively.
Marketers need to redefine email address collection goals. Instead of looking for volume, look for
quality first. Give consumers a reason to give you their primary email address.
How do you measure whether the email address is the primary? By checking that it shows
consistent activity over a short length of time after you acquire it.
The metric on measuring acquisition should change from bringing in X amount of addresses
acquired, to X number of addresses acquired and Y amount determined to be active. That shows
your marketing efforts are working.

Average of 1.8
business email
addresses

Average of 3.2
personal email
addresses

*All respondents

07 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q5: Do you have a specific separate email address used exclusively for emails you rarely intend to open?
Here, 53% of consumers said they don't have email addresses they use only for emails they don't really want.
This is lower than expected, given the fact that many consumers have multiple email addresses.
A closer look at the numbers shows that only about a third (34.1%) of older consumers have a “junk mail”
email address, but nearly three fifths (57.4%) of younger consumers do. Either younger consumers are more
likely to give out a secondary email address, or older consumers are less likely to admit it. We do know from
previous surveys – ours and others – that people do reserve secondary addresses for messages they don't
intend to open regularly.
Regardless, most marketers with younger audiences will find secondary email addresses to be a reality to
contend with.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


This question underscores the importance of the value exchange. Consumers will give out their
primary email addresses when they believe that the value they receive justifies or requires it. Be
wary of email addresses you receive from consumers who do not perceive enough importance in
what marketers have offered in return.

46.7%

Yes 57.4%
48.9%
Age range of respondents
34.1% all ages
14-18
19-34
56-67
53.3%

No 42.6%
51.1%
65.9%

08 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q6: During what events throughout your day do you read email?
We all like to know what our customers and subscribers are doing when they read our emails. We envision
them sitting down in front of their computers or fixing their attention on their phones and tablets and
getting into the email mindset. The reality is different.
Customers read emails at random all day long (83%). More specifically, when they have nothing else more
interesting to do: when they're bored (50%), in bed (35%), in a meeting (21%), even in the bathroom (22%).

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


This tells us that people are not so much settling down for a purposeful session of email consumption.
Instead, they check email whenever and wherever they are, which also means their attention span
can be limited. That scattershot approach needs to be accounted for in your messaging content
and design.
This also casts more doubt on attempts to optimize sending times, which assumes that consumers
will open email at the same time every day.
Send-time optimization is based on historical open rates. Be cautious, and look at your models and
algorithms that determine the best time of day. The statistics show many inconsistencies. Some
marketers do well with send-time optimization, while others find no value. Testing will determine
if this tactic can work for you.

*All respondents
When I am bored 49.7% (Check all that apply)

When I am waiting for a meeting 20.5%

When I am in the bathroom 22%

To and from home 18%

When I am trying to avoid someone 10.4%

When I am at lunch 29.8%

At my desk 37.5%

In bed 35.4%

Randomly throughout the day 82.9%

09 moreinfo@adestra.com
Chapter 2: General
consumer actions
and attitudes

In the previous section, we talked about how The overriding theme of SMS messaging is consent.
important mobile is in conversations with What types of messages do consumers want to
consumers. Text messages represent untapped receive via SMS? Permission-based push
opportunities for most companies. Thankfully notifications are a prime example, especially in
businesses generally appear to be judicious with travel and hospitality. Still, our research uncovered
their text messaging to consumers. This reflects, to some consumer unease with message frequency,
some extent, government regulations about leading us to remind marketers that consent and
permission and unsubscribing. value together will lead to successful SMS programs.

10 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q7: What is the main reason you would subscribe to a company's text messaging program?
Our study found 50% of consumers sign up for coupons. No other category in our survey generated even
close to this level of interest. Even events notifications were only mentioned by 15.9% of consumers. This
high interest in coupons – which generally have high perceived value – suggests that consumers expect and
want communications from companies to have high value.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Marketers need to focus on ensuring that their communications, whether they include coupons or
not, do have very high perceived value. This is especially true in the SMS channel, where the
interruption factor is high and, therefore, tolerance for unwanted distractions is low.

52.6%
To receive coupons 56.8%
41.8%
17.2%
Notification on events 14.8%
15.9%

To receive information 14.7%


from that company 14.8%
20.3%
8.4%
Sign up for a contest or sweepstakes 7.6%
10.1%
5.2%
Social media 1.7%
0.7% Age range of respondents
2% 14-18
Other 4.3% 19-34
11.1% 56-67

11 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q8: From what type of businesses do you sign up for text messages?
When we asked this question, the predominant answer was "I don't." That means a lot of people don't want
marketers’ text messages. That clear answer should kill, once and for all, the issue of appending mobile
records and contacting customers under the guise of permission.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


In countries around the world, laws clearly require recipient consent. Focus on managing
consumer expectations of an SMS program, and build it by making sure that each message
provides high perceived value.
In this way, an individual brand may see attitudes toward their messages become more positive
over time. Appending would thwart this effort (besides complying with most laws worldwide). So,
avoid mobile appends. Careful growth is key to a successful and well-regarded mobile program.

I don't sign up 52.1%


39.9%
for text messages 46.1%
6.6%
Other 2.9%
8%
6.4%
Airlines/travel 18.4%
16.4%
14.3%
Contests 16.5%
11.6%
6.1%
Financial institutions 25.8%
23.7%
20.4%
Restaurants 27.9%
21%
23.1%
32.9% Age range of respondents
National retailers
25.4% 14-18
19-34
19.9%
27.9% 56-67
Local retailers
19.6% (Check all that apply)

12 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q9: What would be the right number of messages per month for text messaging that would keep you
engaged and thus not opt out?
Marketers will not be surprised to find that consumers overwhelmingly (82.4%) chose the lowest frequency
option in the survey. This channel is still new to marketing, and this answer is consistent with survey data
from the early days of the email channel.
A preference for fewer rather than more messages tells us that consumers fear their text inboxes will get as
overloaded as the email inbox. In email, marketers often fall into the trap of emailing just to email, because
the calendar or somebody higher up in the organization says "Send another email." With text messaging, we
can't do that. Marketers must steer clear of the temptation of "texting just to send another text."

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Be very careful with frequency and cadence. Always check the purpose of each message before
you send it. Does it fulfill the consumer's expressed need or requests? Test carefully and always
with high-value messages to avoid damaging this emerging channel.

82.4% of all respondents


prefer 1-2 texts per week

17.6% of all respondents


prefer 3 or more texts per week

13 moreinfo@adestra.com
Chapter 3: How
consumers
interact with
messaging

In this section, we look at how consumers behave in If you see that your email
their communication habits. Where do email, texting, program is 99% promotional
social media, chat apps, and even old-fashioned content, you're doing a
voice calls rank in their preferences and priorities? disservice to your customers.
There's a swath of them who
We also examined what they want and expect when
want more than just a discount.
they sign up for messages from different sources. It's
no surprise to find out, as we did in 2016, 85% will
say they want discounts, promotions, 50% off, and
free shipping in email. That's what we've taught
them to say and to expect.
But, what we haven't taught them is that email is a
way to get information on products or learn about
news and device updates. It’s also a great way to
build brand love or to participate in company research.

14 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q10: How early do you check email, text messages, social media, and voice mail after you wake up in the
morning and what is the first thing you check on the phone when starting the day?
As we saw in Adestra's 2016 Consumer Usage and Adoption Study, consumers are peering at their smartphone
screens first thing in the morning before they do anything else. This year, we found 41% start their days this way.
The reason why we asked consumers what they check first thing every day was to get a better handle on their
priorities. A third of consumers check their text messages first, followed by personal email (24%), social media
(15%), and phone calls (11%). The implication is clear – consumers are hungry to reconnect to the world as
soon as they wake up.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


As we have found out, consumers are opportunistic about checking their email throughout the
day. It is tempting to view the early morning as the one reliable time to catch consumers while
they are checking messages.
However, be aware that while consumers may be more likely to check email early in the day, it
doesn’t mean they are more focused, or even alert or awake enough. Could lunchtime be a better
opportunity at making sure consumers are more receptive to marketing offers?
Marketers know that while some people are ready to buy when they open the email, most prefer to be
cajoled into it. According to Gretchen Scheiman, chief executive, L5 Direct, “Tests have shown for years
that modifying call-to-action language to retain the action verb, but making it a multi-step process,
helps consumers walk through the path-to-purchase faster. It is fair to assume that even consumers
who are awake and attentive want to read more than what was in the email before they click 'buy now.'”

Online Business
48% telephone calls
First thing, before 45.1% news 3.6%
anything else 30.3% 2.3%
Business email 4.3%
18.7% Texts 33.9%
After breakfast, 13.6% Other 5.8%
before leaving for work 15.4%
15.8% Personal telephone
After coffee, 23.9%
before breakfast
calls 10.9%
31.7%
6.9%
Other 2.9%
14.4%
6.9%
On the way to work 4.8% Social media 15.2%
0.7%
Age range of respondents
3.7% 14-18
At work 9.8% 19-34 *All respondents
7.5% Personal email 24%
56-67

15 moreinfo@adestra.com
Tests have shown for years that
modifying call-to-action language
to retain the action verb, but making
it a multi-step process, helps consumers
walk through the path-to-purchase faster.

Gretchen Scheiman
Chief Executive, L5 Direct
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q11: If you are getting emails from companies that you're no longer interested in, what do you do?
Maybe consumers are beginning to trust the unsubscribe link. This year we found a greater number said they
unsubscribe to make unwanted email go away – 73% compared to 65% in our 2016 Consumer Study.
Email marketers who are on their game understand why this is good news. Unsubscribing means your
customers care enough to say "No, thanks" rather than "Just go away" (deleting it without reading it or letting
it pile up in the inbox or a folder). And, it certainly beats clicking the spam button.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Keeping the unsubscribe visible and functional is paying off for your marketing peers and
competitors, so don't hide yours. Don't camouflage it in tiny type in an obscure corner of your
email. Don't call it something else, either.
In addition to making unsubscribing trustworthy and easy, you can still give your customers
options other than opting out. Offer them the ability to opt down to a lower frequency or to find
a more interesting email stream, in addition to the complete unsubscribe option.

Unsubscribe 73%

Delete the email each time 10.8%

Hit the spam button 6.2%

Ignore it 5.9%

Keep deleting the email


until I have a need for it 3%

Set up a rule to sweep


the email into a folder 1.1%
*All respondents

17 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q12: How likely are you to share messages from marketing/advertising emails on your social networks?
Consumers are telling us that, for the most part, they don't bother sharing marketing content with their
friends through Facebook, Twitter, and other networks. This might surprise you, but not us because it's what
they also told us in our 2016 Consumer Study.
This year saw a 12% decline in the number of people who are either "very" or "somewhat" likely to share
content – a total of 14% of all consumers. That leaves 86% who are either unsure about the topic or
uninterested in it to varying degrees.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Focus your marketing energy on strategies that produce results. Sharing to social might be a thing
in the niche of your market, but if it isn't, don't try to make it one with repeated appeals.
Does that mean you should pull your social icons from your emails and not share what others have
posted on your Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram feeds? Certainly not. There's still a slice of your
market who are willing to share content and endorse your brands. These are your VIPs, your brand
advocates and influencers.
So, redefine your social media strategy, and come up with a new goal: Identify your social sharers.
Create a segment of people who love your brand, and market differently to them with special
content that rewards their advocacy and influence.

*All respondents

Very likely 4.3%

Somewhat likely 9.7%

Neutral/no opinion 13.8%

Less likely 14.5%

Not likely 57.8%

18 moreinfo@adestra.com
Chapter 4: Teens,
Boomers, and
email attitudes

In 2016, Adestra made headlines with the This points to something else we have been saying
groundbreaking finding that teens love email. Study for years: Email is not dying. In fact, we're enjoying a
after study found similar results, all blowing up the resurgence of interest in, and enthusiasm for, email.
conventional wisdom that teens don't use email. We're reaping the benefits of First-Person Marketing,
Our study gave that tired narrative a quick death. which sees the email address as a way to identify the
This year, we're happy to report that the statistics for consumer beyond just sending email communications.
teens are comparable.
It's clear, as you'll see below, that everyday life continues
But the news isn't all about teens. You'll see how to be an impetus for having an email address.
Baby Boomers, who usually lag their children and
now grandchildren in technology adoption and use,
are jumping on the digital bandwagon.

19 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q13: If you could select a communication preference from a business, which would you choose?
More than seven in 10 consumers – 72.5% – chose email by itself, virtually the same as in 2016. Add in the
11% who want a combination of email and SMS (the next-largest group), and you've got nearly 84% of
consumers who want email.
We did see a 9.4% decrease in the 14-18 cutaway, from 67% in 2016 to 60.7% this year, although that came
with a 20% jump in teens who want both email and SMS.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Email reigns supreme across all age groups, including teens. Don't ignore any age groups in your
messaging strategy. Get creative, too. This year's study revealed a nearly 17% drop in direct-mail
interest and an 18% jump in favor of an email-SMS combination. What could that do for your
marketing program?

60.7%
Email 77.8%
78.8%
16.2%
Email and SMS 9.3%
8%
11.3%
SMS 6.2%
1.7%
8.6%
App (push messages) 1.9%
1.4%
2.9%
Direct mail 3.8%
8.4% Age range of respondents
0.2% 14-18
1% 19-34
Other
1.7% 56-67

20 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q14: I have an email address because…


Teens and younger Millennials told us that they have email addresses mainly because "It's a fact of everyday
life" (78%). They don't use email to stay in touch with friends the way their parents and grandparents do. This
is most likely because they see their friends often enough through the day that they require an even more
immediate form of communication to fill the gaps. Instead, email is more of a passport to their worlds.
Students and teen employees alike use email addresses to receive school and company news, to communicate
with teachers, professors and bosses, and as ID for other uses.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


The next time someone says "Teens don't use email," show this statistic. Teens definitely do
use email. However, as we pointed out in Q5, teens are more likely to lead marketers astray
with a secondary email address if the perceived value isn’t high enough to earn their primary
email address. So be more careful about the value exchange you offer to this group.

76.7%
Everyday life
84.1%

54.3%
Buy things online
52.4%

43.7%
Work
52.4%

45.2%
Communicate with...
39.7%

10.6%
My parents got me...
4.6% (Check all that apply)
Age range of respondents
4.4%
I don't know... 14-18
4.8% 19-24

21 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q15: What is your primary method for communicating with friends?


We found texting as a way consumers stay in touch with friends is in a major state of flux. Chat apps like
Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Line are eating away at texting's dominance among teens. But, it's gaining on
phone calls and email for Boomers.
Texting is still the No. 1 channel for teen-to-teen communication, at 55.3%. Millennials, too, remain the top
texters among all age groups. But teens are gravitating toward chat apps in a big way: almost 28% use them
now, up 55.5% from what they told us in 2016.
Even Boomers, who are still the people most likely to use the phone for calling, are tapping keyboard screens
almost as often as number pads. Texting (32.3%) grew by 12 percentage points over the last 12 months to
displace email as the No. 2 favored way to contact friends.
These major changes point to changing preferences for personal communications. The growth in chat apps
tells us that teens prefer to reach out in small bursts (and we thought Twitter's 140 characters were hard to
deal with!).

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


More than ever, consumers are communicating with friends in ways we can't predict or comprehend.
When developing communication plans, think in terms of the totality of communication methods
when looking for ways to reach out and engage with consumers.
While it’s important to look at what Snapchat and Instagram can do for you, be sure to remember
that each social outlet has a specific use, benefit, and weakness. Don't come up with a "social media"
plan as a whole. Think about what you could accomplish with each channel.
Also, make sure your marketing copy and content include short phrases that can easily be integrated
into consumers’ social and SMS communications. For example: “I bought new shoes” could have
been “Those Steve Maddens with the tea-rose applique are MINE.” Marketers who rethink their
copy in light of the way Millennials communicate could find it surprisingly rewarding.
59.8%

Age range of respondents


55.3%

14-18
19-34
56-67
35.5%

27.8%
32.3%

19.1%

16.6%
13.7%
10.1%

7.2%
6.2%

3.1%
5%
2.5%

1.5%
1.9%
1.7%
1.2%

1.2%

0.7%
0.5%

Text Facebook Phone calls Chat apps Email Personal visits Other

22 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q16: When registering to use an app, do you prefer to sign up with email, or a social media account?
Even with all the talk about chat apps and texting supplanting email for personal communications, email
continues to reign supreme across all age groups for its utility in communicating with businesses and as an
identifier in the wider world.
When using mobile applications, 83% of all consumers said they prefer to use their email addresses over
a social media account (14%) or some other source when registering. Even teens, who are more likely to
use a social media account to register for an app than their elders, still prefer email at a rate of more than
three to one.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


People see their social media outlets as separate identifiers for who they are and how they see
themselves in the world. They likely consider their information in their social media accounts more
private and choose not to share, even though one-click "sign in with social" services make
registration easier than typing in their email addresses.
But remember the finding in Chapter 1 – that people have on average more than three personal
email addresses. Make sure your apps clearly demonstrate value, so that they can earn the right to
receive consumers’ primary addresses.

Email 83.4%

Social media account 14.2%

Other 2.4%
*All respondents

23 moreinfo@adestra.com
Chapter 5:
Consumer privacy
and security

The email address is more valuable today. Imagine a conversation with an acquaintance who
What are the implications? suddenly asks personal questions about recent
We live in a world where the email address becomes travels, magazines you subscribe to, stores you shop
more valuable as the technology evolves. Once, an at, and brands you purchase – information which
email address was just an email address. But what you wouldn’t normally have shared with this person.
we know now, and what First-Person Marketers Freaky, right? Marketers have access to all of this
understand, is that the email address is now more information and more. It is enough to be disconcerting
important than a Social Security number because we to anyone. The onus is on marketers to use it wisely.
can use it to identify more about a customer based
on the email address than any other single source There are, of course, a few rules or regulations to
of information. help govern behavior, including making sure
consumers know how their data is being used. Take
This gives email marketers an unbelievable amount the extra steps needed to educate them about what
of power, not only in their own organizations but you're doing with their information.
also in the way they use their power to identify the
consumer. It comes with great responsibility. This doesn't mean you just give them a link to your
privacy policy. It should change how you look at
If marketers realized they are as responsible for as acquisition. And it should give you a better
many Social Security numbers as they are email understanding about what consumers think
addresses, they'd be more careful about how they about the digital landscape they live in.
handle that information.

Marketers must treat data and customers


with care.
It's also helpful to know how consumers think.
Marketers see the connective tissue between the
data and how they use it. Consumers are in a shroud
of ignorance, not because they choose to be but
because they don't know how much information
marketers can collect via their email addresses.

24 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q17: When you come to a website that asks for an email address before you can access the website, what
do you do?
The results for this question are consistent year-over-year. People don't want to give up their email addresses
before they have a chance to look over your website. This year, more than 60% of site visitors will either leave
or lie about their email with either an out-of-date or phony address.
Pair this with the results from Q4 in Chapter 1, which say consumers use at least three email addresses. This
begins to put popups, popovers, and other interstitial ads in a different light.
Yes, 40% of visitors say they will provide a real address. But, that's not what you thought your acquisition
efforts were driving – especially since you don’t know which 40% are valid, and which are throw-away
addresses.
The popover aims for quantity of email addresses, not quality. It tells customers, "Your email address isn't that
valuable." No wonder more than six in 10 will skip out or lie to make the popover go away.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Remember the value exchange. Offer prospects and customers something that they perceive is
more valuable than what they are giving you. If you offer visitors a coupon, they are more likely to
answer your questions correctly and completely.
Carefully consider timing and placement of your offer. Certainly, there should be an email address
collection point at checkout, since this is the best opportunity to capture a valid one. The value
exchange is very clear here: you offer order confirmations and shipment tracking to customers
who provide an active email address that they will check. However, you aren’t helping your overall
customer acquisition program very much here – they’re already acquired.
Conversely, a popover at site entry is too soon. It is a barrier to a prospect viewing your site and
finding the information they are looking for. Timing and placement are clearly premature here.
Instead, test alternatives to find the sweet spot where you capture valid email addresses and
power your acquisition without losing prospects or capturing invalid, throw-away email addresses.

41.3%
Leave the site 45.3%
46.6%
33.2%
Give a real email address 35.2%
48.3%

20.6%
Give an old email address 11.8%
2.2% Age range of respondents
4.9% 14-18
Give an incorrect email address 7.7% 19-34
2.9% 56-67

25 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q18: How comfortable would you be in providing each of these elements of personal information to a
company which has products or services that you are considering purchasing?
What marketers have told us, and what we know from First-Person Marketing strategies, is that the more
information we can get from customers at acquisition the better we can target them. We also can increase
the match rate percentage on third-party or external data.
For years, though, marketers have concentrated mostly on just getting an email address. There is a valid
reason for this: Marketers have been taught that the shorter the form, the higher the completion rate. An
email address is about as short as you can get.
The problem is that the email address as a stand-alone piece of data is powerful, but the more information
you have, the more certain you can be that the email address you're using is the right one. In addition, if
consumers are willing to provide additional demographic information, the value of additional data might
well be higher than the slight decline in the completion rate.
Items like date of birth, city, postal code, or last name are crucial to increasing your match rate. In this graph,
when we asked respondents which they were more interested in providing, name, age, gender, email address
and date of birth ranked near the top. All of these data points are crucial to getting more information for
matching. If you ask demographic or product-focused questions, those will apply if they're within the context
of your brand.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Customers will give you information if you explain how you will use it to provide a better customer
experience. Before you make these data questions part of your acquisition process, test them to
see if your customers would have given you that information in the first place.
The form completion rate is not a linear line that drops steadily and predictably with each
additional question asked. In testing, we have often found that there are thresholds – different
for every brand – where drop-off occurs.
But, adding questions up to the threshold makes little difference and can add tremendous value to
marketers. Don’t be afraid to test adding questions based on the information you need, so long as you
take care to make sure the customer understands your need for the information you are requesting.

Gender 5.6 Birthday 4.4

Age 5.0 Phone number 3.4

Email address 4.9 Income 3.2

Name 4.7 Physical address 3.0


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Scale of 1 - 7 1= extremely uncomfortable 7=extremely comfortable *All respondents

26 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q19: Do you ever read the permissions that apps want in order to be installed?
Apps are everywhere, from travel to social media, to fitness and on into infinity. If you have an interest, there's
an app for it.
But, as with email, apps come with a value exchange. Nothing is free, even if the app comes without a charge.
Consumers have to figure out what the app developer receives in exchange when they download an app.
Few if any developers will publish apps for free because everything comes with a cost.
Your cost, then, isn't necessarily money, but information. Developers want your information – your email address,
your name, data on how you use the app, and so on.
The permission statement you (presumably) read before you download an app tells you what information its
developer will extract in exchange. This is generally not a negotiation: if you do not agree to the permissions,
you cannot use the app. How often do you – meaning you, the marketer who deals with permissions and
value exchanges for a living – read these permissions?
What about non-marketers, though? Overall, nearly a two-third majority told us they do read permissions. On
the face of it, this is a testament that we as marketers have educated people to ask what they're being asked
to give up.
However, when we dig into age differences, we see that older users (73%) are more likely to read the fine
print than teens (55%).
We could interpret that as evidence that teens don't expect privacy or don't particularly value it. More likely, it
could be that teens just don't understand the concept and implications of privacy yet.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


You don't know how important privacy is until you have your identity stolen (or know people who
have), and that's more likely to happen when you're an adult.
The fact that 44% of teens don't read app permissions might indicate that they need education to
understand why it's important. It's also a perspective that might change as they begin to perceive
the implications in the marketplace.
Even if you market only to teens, the data suggests that making your app permissions transparent
will be important to your marketing efforts and to gaining trust of this major population segment.

64.5%
55.3%
Yes 65.6%
72.8%

35.5% Age range of respondents


44.7% all ages
No 14-18
34.4%
27.2% 19-34
56-67

27 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q20: True or False – I don't mind giving up personal information in order to download a free application on
my phone or tablet.
Here, 72% of respondents said they do mind giving up personal information in exchange for free apps. In
combination with the answers to Q19, in which 65% said they read the terms and conditions before
downloading apps, it's clear we're dealing with an educated group of consumers.
This might speak to a breakdown in the perception of the value exchange. If the application does not provide
high enough perceived value, or does not clearly require personal information to function, then consumers
might well resent the request to give up their information. This is an area to watch as privacy issues gain more
attention in the media.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Carefully consider the personal information requested in app permissions to make sure that the
request appears to be reasonable (necessary for app functions) and that it has a high perceived
value exchange. This is likely to be the best hope to overcome increasing resistance to sharing
personal information going forward.

TRUE
Comfortable
giving up
personal info...
27.7%
FALSE
Not comfortable
giving up
personal info...
72.3%

*All respondents

28 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q21: The chances of my data being involved in a data breach are ...
Data breaches are a fact of everyday life now, from big retailers' store information, to social media, email,
credit cards, health records, and other personally-identifiable information. According to the Pew Research
Center, 35% of Americans have received a notice that some kind of sensitive data had been compromised (as
of May 2016).
So, why aren't more consumers worried about getting hacked? Our question found 45% of consumers agree
they stand a good chance of having their data stolen by hackers. That's a sizable section of the population.
But what is more surprising is that more than half of respondents either had no opinion or weren't too
worried about the prospect.
Teens are the least likely to worry about data breaches. Only 6% think it will happen, compared to Boomers,
who are far less sanguine – probably because it has already happened to them.
It is possible that the constant drumbeat of data breach announcements has become so routine that most
consumers see these events as just part of the status quo. Multiple surveys from Adestra and others have
shown that cybersecurity is simply not a top-of-mind worry for most consumers, despite the reality of data
breaches. This paints a complex and somewhat internally inconsistent picture of attitudes toward privacy.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Here's where we see the need most clearly for marketers to take the lead on privacy and security.
Your carefree customers might not worry about the data they share, but your more cautious ones
will appreciate your willingness to be as transparent as possible in your opt-in and data privacy
policies. Write in everyday language, not legalese, and be sure your acquisition and data-use and
protection policies reflect the best of both the regulatory and self-regulatory worlds. And, remind
everyone from time to time that they can trust you with their data. Someone who just got burned
on a credit card hack might appreciate the heads-up.
39.1%
38.7%

Age range of respondents


36.6%

all ages
33.2%

14-18
31.5%

29.6%

19-34
28.6%

56-67
21.6%

17.4%
16.3%
13.1%

12.5%

12.5%
11.7%

10.3%
10%

7.8%
5.7%

6.1%
6%
5%

3.1%

2.1%
1%

Very likely Somewhat likely Neutral/no opinion Less likely Not likely Not worried

29 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q22: Which is more important to you – convenience or privacy?


One out of every four respondents values privacy over convenience. Broken down by age, though, we see a
sharp contrast between teens and Millennials as a bloc and their more guarded elders. For teens especially,
this is in keeping with other findings that show younger consumers are less concerned about keeping their
personal information private.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


The laissez-faire attitude that our study uncovered shows why responsible marketers must get out
in front of their customers on data security. It's up to you as the holder of their personal
information to explain to them what your security procedures are. If a breach does occur, you
must explain how it affects them.
Although more than half of consumers don't fret over their data security, the 45% who do, will
expect you to be transparent about your data policies – how you protect their data and what you
do with it.
If you market to teens, explain what data security is all about and what they have to do to be safe.
Our finding that 72% of teens don't expect to be part of a data breach, along with the findings
from Q19 showing 45% of teens also don't check permissions when downloading apps, make it
clear that teens don't understand the concept of data privacy and security yet.
As the marketer, it's up to you to not just to be responsible about your data handling and security,
but also to educate your audience. This way, you can show that you're doing your part to earn
their trust.

85.1%
Age range of respondents
14-18
19-34 69% 69.5%
56-67

31% 30.5%

14.9%

Convenience Privacy

30 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q23: How important is the reputation of the company in your decision to give personally-identifiable
information to them over the Internet?
Your brand equity – your reputation – is clearly important to your customers, across all age groups. It's why
people give you the information you want and carries over into your customer acquisition. What do you do to
sell your customers on giving you the information you really want?
You're asking for the email address (which we know has high perceived value), but what value have you
offered to your customers to get their real email addresses?
According to Dennis Dayman, chief privacy officer, ReturnPath, "Email remains the primary ID utilized by
individuals to engage with brands and online commerce. Despite email's pervasive nature there is a healthy
amount of concern and skepticism regarding the security and privacy of a merchant's collection and use of
their email address and associated personally-identifiable information. Marketers need to make it
worthwhile."

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Just asking for any old email address and then moving on is cheapening the email channel. No
matter what your role in your company is, you're a salesperson. You are selling your email program
to your customers and trying to persuade them to buy – that is, to give you their best email addresses.
In this light, marketers can communicate that they have a good email program that sends them
valuable information, and it's worth their time.
If you need to justify doing work to upgrade your retail site, you can tell your bosses that the brand
equity your site conveys also carries over to acquisitions.

69.7% *All respondents

26.5%

3.9%

Very important Somewhat important Not important

31 moreinfo@adestra.com
Email remains the primary ID utilized
by individuals to engage with brands and
online commerce. Despite email's pervasive
nature there is a healthy amount of concern
and skepticism regarding the security and
privacy of a merchant's collection and use of
their email address and associated
personally-identifiable information.
Marketers need to make it worthwhile.

Dennis Dayman
Chief Privacy Officer, ReturnPath
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q24: Are you willing to provide personal information to web sites so that online advertisements can be
targeted to your tastes and interests?

68.5%
*All respondents

31.5%

Willing to give Not willing to...


personal info...

Q25: Would you be more willing or less willing to provide personal information for online advertising
purposes if the website compensated (by non-cash methods) you for your information?

61.5% *All respondents

38.5%

More willing to give Less willing to...


personal info...

Is it any surprise to find that people are more willing to give you their personal information if you give them
something (besides money) for it? That's the value exchange. This reinforces how important it is to be sure
your acquisition program emphasizes value.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


Your job as the marketer is to spell out what compensation you're offering in exchange for your
customers' best email addresses. Not the old addresses, not the throwaways, but the ones they
use for their most important exchanges.
People will give you their personal information if they expect to benefit from it.

33 moreinfo@adestra.com
2017 Consumer Digital
Usage and Behavior Study

Q26: How important is it that companies gain your consent when ...
It's clear that customers want transparency with the data they entrust to you, especially when you involve
third parties, whether you share your data with them or use their data to build internal profiles. Your
customers might not understand what you're doing with that data. But that, again, is your job to explain and
be open about.
We've talked about the value exchange that goes into your acquisition program – the value you give your
customers in exchange for their personal data. Brand trust is also a key factor, as we just saw in Q23.
Brand equity has trust attached to it. That's why the Target data breach several years ago hurt the company.
Customers trusted the company to protect their data, and it didn't. Target is still trying to repair the damage
caused by that lack of trust.

TAKEAWAY FOR MARKETERS


When you think about rapid response in terms of data breaches, you have a fiduciary responsibility
to your customers and subscribers to tell them what's going on. If you look at the European
Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other global data laws, you can see they
call for more transparency from companies.
The GDPR says, in effect, that everything needs consent – and that consent does not include
pre-checked boxes on your subscription forms. But it's not just how you collect email addresses.
It's how you use that and other data you have on your customers.
Ultimately, you must realize that you build trust by being transparent about how you use your
customer information and how you notify customers if something goes wrong.

Sites sell/share your personal information to others 6.0

Sites gather in-depth personal profiles about


you from other outside databases 5.9

Sites track your movement around the Internet 5.8

Sites track your online purchases 5.5

Sites track your movement around their site 4.8

Sites customize your online experience


to your personal preferences 4.9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Scale of 1 - 7 1= extremely unimportant 7=extremely important

34 moreinfo@adestra.com
Conclusion

1. Consumers are active inbox managers. of their inboxes. Marketers who provide clear and
transparent unsubscribe processes are seeing those
Consumers have evolved considerably in how they
efforts pay off in users who choose to unsubscribe from
use email and where email resides in the universe of
email they no longer want rather than let it pile up
their communications. Far from being passive
unread or use the "report spam" button to make it
consumers of messages, consumers have definite
go away.
ideas about the kinds of email they value and, more
importantly for marketers, how they manage their 4. Teens value email – on their terms.
inboxes to keep the email they don't value. Access
to email is also beginning to consolidate. Where Teens do prefer email over other channels for
email audiences once fractured along the lines of communications from brands as well as day-to-day
multiple devices and browsers, marketers now have aspects of their lives, such as school and work notices.
two formats to master: mobile and Gmail. But they also have strong ideas about what they want
from email and are more likely than others to use a
2. High-value and manageable frequency are key secondary email address for messages they don't value.
components of text messaging. Marketers should both understand this unwillingness to
Regardless of age or location, consumers want value put up with low-value messages and communicate in
from all of the brand messaging they receive. This appropriate language, whether in email, text, or
has long been true of email communications and social messaging in terms teens will appreciate.
applies to the growing field of text messaging. 5. Marketers must become the champions of
Consumers who might tolerate high frequency in customers who have trusted them with personal
emails showed definite evidence that they don't information.
extend that tolerance to text messages. High-value
Trust is a major factor in consumers' decisions about
and nuanced frequency will go hand in hand toward
which brands to include in their universes. Marketers
building positive consumer attitudes on text messaging.
must grasp the enormous responsibility they have
3. Consumers check email all day long but often for their customers' personal information, given the
only in "read only" mode. email address' value as an individual identifier across
Email is a day-long affair. Consumers are in their channels and throughout the customer journey.
inboxes from the moment they wake up, all through Marketers must not only know, understand, and apply
the day and likely the last thing they do at night. laws and regulations governing data protections
However, this constant checking for email doesn't and security, but also lead their customers to
necessarily imply consumers are in a "buy now" understand the risks and rewards of sharing personal
frame of mind. Consumers are also active managers information and how to protect themselves.

35 moreinfo@adestra.com
Adestra is a trusted provider of First-Person Adestra continues to maintain one of the highest
Marketing solutions for global and growing brands. customer retention rates in the industry. It is
trusted by top companies including UBM,
The company's industry-leading email platform FranklinCovey, Condé Nast Digital Limited, and Tile,
provides a powerful infrastructure for one-to-one, among others.
contextual messaging and marketing automation,
helping marketers communicate more effectively Established in 2004, Adestra has offices throughout
with their customers and subscribers. Robust the UK, US, Canada and Australia. For more
reporting features allow marketers to efficiently information, please visit adestra.com.
evaluate and optimize their campaign results. The
flexible structure and open integration architecture
enables businesses to connect disparate
technology platforms to create a seamless
customer journey.

Along with a best-of-breed platform that drives


customer engagement and boosts ROI, Adestra
was founded on the principle that marketing
success takes more than technology, which is why
customer service is at the heart of its business.
Adestra was a winner of the 2014 and 2017
Customer Focus Award from the Customer Service
Institute. It also won Bronze for Customer Service
Department of the Year at the 2017 Stevie Awards
for Customer Service, as well as being presented
with the 2017 Supplier of the Year Award from one
of its longest-standing clients, UBM. WINNER
2016 Supplier of the Year

36 moreinfo@adestra.com
adestra.com
855-835-0471
moreinfo@adestra.com

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