Black Friday blues: 16 million Brits give false data about themselves to brands

One in four Brits intentionally give false data about themselves to brands, posing a serious risk to marketers planning to collect information amidst the Black Friday sales. 

That’s according to a survey of 2,000 UK consumers commissioned by Treasure Data, which also found that a 34% will not use their primary email address when signing up to brand communications.

Brits in the youngest age bracket are the most deliberately deceptive with their data. 45% of 18-34 year olds choose not to use their primary email address with brands, compared to 25% of those aged 55 and over.

Alongside slowing marketing budget growth as evidenced by the latest IPA Bellwether report and narrowing consumer spending power, brands also must contend with a raft of data blindspots as 47% of Brits reveal that they deliberately try to withhold their personal data from them.

Andrew Stephenson, Director of Marketing EMEA & India at Treasure Data, comments: “This Black Friday, marketers have an elaborate concoction of obstacles in their hands as consumers add the issue of data collection and accuracy into the mix alongside the cost-of-living crisis and looming recession.”

“It’s imperative that brands demonstrate accordingly the importance of data sharing - and the value Brits will receive in return for doing so - through personalised, helpful content. If not, brands risk Black Friday being a damp squib at a time when its success is most critical.”

The findings also lay bare how little tolerance Brits have for impersonal comms, and the problem confronting brands hoping to convert cognisance into clicks over the coming weeks.

One in five consumers report that they would unsubscribe from a brand’s mailing list within a week if content wasn’t relevant, and a further 43% say that less than 10% of the content they receive from companies make them click through. 

In addition, Brits are critical about the plethora of content they currently experience. Whilst 51% of people receive between one and ten brand communications each day, 72% think less than half of it is relevant or appropriate for them.

Stephenson concludes: “What’s also clear from our research is that there’s an uphill battle for marketers in ensuring the consumer data they do have isn’t jeopardised by content that simply isn’t fit for purpose.”

“There are several ways that brands can tackle this – from exploring the tools on the market that take customer data and create actionable insights, to upskilling and empowering marketing teams to understand what to do with what they have.”

“As we ride the upcoming recession into the next couple of years, data management is going to be one of the key battlegrounds for brands where consumer loyalty and advocacy is won or lost.”