A 2006 Choice Stream Personalization Survey shows that consumers are letting down their guard when it comes to privacy. Why? They like the idea of receiving more personalized content.

This survey, conducted since 2004, provides insight into consumer desire for personalization. The personalization trend is good news for apparel retailers and wholesalers because they will be able to mine more data for targeting customers more accurately. It’s a win-win: sellers are happy – buyers are happy.

In 2006, the survey included 1,100 respondents aged 18 to 50+, 56 percent female and 44 percent male. Key findings show that interest in personalization is strong, as 79 percent of consumers indicated an interest in receiving personalized content.

The survey shows that the number of consumers willing to tradeoff privacy for personalization has increased over the past few years. In 2006, 57 percent of consumers were willing to provide personal demographic information in exchange for personalized content. With only 46 percent willing to provide personal data in 2005, this represents a 24 percent increase. Additionally, 34 percent more consumers were willing to allow websites to track their clicks and purchases.

Despite the desire for personalization and willingness to divulge information, concerns over the security of personal data remains consistently high (62 percent of consumers were concerned in 2006 versus 63 percent in 2005).

These survey results suggest that it might be worthwhile for apparel retailers and wholesalers to experiment with personalization technology. Disclosure: The firm conducting this survey is a personalization services firm. However, the trend in undeniable and has been noted by others in the industry.

No, this is not an advertorial for ChoiceStream. It is merely a post to report a trend. The survey also reported that consumers are currently more willing to pay attention to personalized advertising, with over one-third of respondents indicating that they would be willing to pay attention to ads if they were personalized based on their personal tastes and interests.

If you are interested in using personalization, you can download the PDF report at: http://www.choicestream.com/