Incogni survey puts focus on how US shoppers are willing to trade their personal data for discounts
While 95% of Americans are concerned their data could end up in a breach, 78% are still willing to share personal information for discounts, perks, or free shipping.
Shoppers are often asked to volunteer personal information for discounts or access to content and rewards. It has become so routine that few likely consider the implications before doing so.
Incogni surveyed over 1,000 Americans across age, income, and location demographics.
Key findings:
51% of Americans shop online at least once a week, with Millennials (64%) being the most frequent shoppers.
78% are willing to trade personal data, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, for shopping perks, with Millennials (82%) being the most likely and baby boomers (72%) the least likely.
19% would share their data for just a 10% discount.
95% worry about retailer data breaches, yet 60% of Americans consider it at least somewhat acceptable to have their personal data shared with a third party by the retailer.
Only 20% of shoppers understand how retailers use their data, with most unaware of cross-platform tracking or data broker sharing.
Trust varies widely by retailer type: Grocery chains are the most trusted (83% moderate or high trust), while foreign marketplaces are the least (44%).
Even though US consumers have strong concerns about data misuse and privacy, the survey shows that they overwhelmingly agree to trade their data for financial incentives. However, they are often unaware of how their personal information is stored, sold, or repurposed for targeted marketing.
“US shoppers seem to be at a crossroads, understanding in varying degrees the risk of data sharing and breaches, but continuing to hand over personal information for short-term benefits, especially during the holiday season,” says Darius Belejevas, Head at Incogni. “Education is crucial; consumers need to recognise that every discount carries a substantial data cost.”
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Data management was a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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