Consumers are ready to accept Identity 3.0

There's always a trade off between access and security. Identity management specialist Gigya has released its latest State of Consumer Privacy & Personalization report looking at consumer attitudes surrounding data privacy.

A key finding is a growing willingness to accept next-generation authentication methods known as 'Identity 3.0'. Biometric technologies are emerging as a popular option for signing in. The study shows 41 percent of consumers have a high level of comfort logging in to a site or mobile app using a thumbprint or face/eye scan.

The study also shows heightened demand for data privacy and more relevant marketing communications, which consumers believe can be achieved through business transparency and personalization. More than 90 percent of consumers are at least somewhat concerned about data privacy and how companies are using customer data.

This contributes to a willingness to use existing logins, 59 percent of consumers say they are willing to register or log in to a website or mobile application with an existing identity from a payment provider such as PayPal or Amazon. 57 percent say they would be prepared to use their Apple ID.

Also 88 percent of US consumers have logged in to a website or mobile application using an existing social network identity, an 11 percent increase over last year’s findings. This is happening across demographic groups, 75 percent of consumers aged 55 and over have used a social identity to authenticate on a site or mobile app.

An aversion to filling out online registration forms (56 percent) and not wanting to remember yet another user name and password (43 percent) top the list of reasons why consumers choose to use social authentication. Being able to use the same identity on all devices and websites to get a more personalized experience is the third most cited reason at 25 percent.

"Although data privacy concerns are seemingly at an all-time high, it's evident that consumers are prepared to share their personal information with businesses if presented with a clear value exchange and a high level of transparency," says Patrick Salyer, CEO of Gigya. "In addition, as consumers continue to embrace advanced authentication methods, brands must equip themselves to handle an increasing volume and variety of rich identity data in order provide truly relevant 1:1 experiences".

The full report is available to download from the Gigya website or there's a summary of the findings in infographic form below.

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