Brands should implement social logins on their websites and apps to cater to growing consumer desire for convenience and transparency, which is driven in part by their hatred for filling out forms and/or difficulty remembering passwords. At the same time, consumers say they are more willing to share data in exchange for more relevant content, so brands must walk a thin line between collecting that data and not asking for too much. That’s according to the 2014 State of Consumer Privacy and Personalization survey from Gigya.
Consumer identity management platform Gigya has released its 2014 State of Consumer Privacy and Personalization survey, which found social login adoption is “exploding” in part because consumers want transparency, relevance, and convenience when sharing data with brands. And, as a result, more businesses are utilizing it.
In fact, 77 percent of the consumers in Gigya’s survey of 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 to 55 said they have logged into websites and apps using their social media accounts, which Gigya says is an increase of 45 percent since its 2012 survey. Gigya defines social login as consumers permitting brands access to the data in their social profiles.
In addition, the survey, which, coincidentally, can be downloaded via its own social network autofills on the Gigya website, found about 60 percent of respondents said they use social logins “often” or “always,” which is up from 35 percent two years ago. That’s in large part because of convenience, Gigya says.
Participants pointed to the length of time it takes to fill out registration forms, as well as difficulty remembering usernames and passwords, as their top reasons for opting for social logins. In addition, more than 60 percent of respondents said they were likely to choose social logins when using mobile devices because traditional logins are particularly cumbersome there.
Consumers who said they never use social logins cited fear the website or app is looking to sell their data.
At the same time, 20 percent of respondents said the promise of more relevant content, offers, and recommendations makes them more willing to share information.
What’s more, consumers harshly punish brands that do not deliver it. After receiving irrelevant information or products, 43 percent of consumers in Gigya’s survey said they ignored all future communications from the brand and 20 percent stopped buying products from that company altogether.Gigya also found more than 80 percent of consumers have abandoned online forms over concerns about the amount and type of information requested and 60 percent said they have abandoned purchases from sites that make them fill out online forms.
This adds up to some important lessons for brands, according to Gigya:
- Implement social logins: This gives consumers seamless experiences, as well as additional control over the data they share.
- Use progressive profiling: Brands can avoid scaring off customers by not asking for too much data up front. Instead, brands should gradually ask for that data after some trust has been built. They should also clearly state the data they are looking to collect and how that data will and won’t be used.
- Automate social data compliance: Choose providers that can take on the burden of managing data privacy.
Have you implemented social logins on your website? How have your customers responded?