Would you swap personal information for a bargain?

Ahead of Black Friday a new study shows that, while 95 percent of Americans are concerned their data could end up in a breach, 78 percent are still willing to share personal information for discounts, perks, or free shipping.

The report from Incogni, based on a study of over 1,000 US adults, finds that volunteering personal information for discounts or access to content and rewards has become so routine that few likely consider the implications before doing so.

Among the findings are that 51 percent of Americans shop online at least once a week, with millennials (64 percent) being the most frequent shoppers. 78 percent are willing to trade personal data, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, for shopping perks, with millennials (82 percent) being the most likely and baby boomers (72 percent) the least likely.

Data, it seems, is cheap too with 19 percent saying they would share their data for just a 10 percent discount.

Although 95 percent worry about retailer data breaches, 60 percent of Americans consider it at least somewhat acceptable to have their personal data shared with a third party by the retailer. But only 20 percent of shoppers understand how retailers use their data, with most unaware of cross-platform tracking or data broker sharing.

Trust also varies widely by retailer type, grocery chains are the most trusted (83 percent moderate or high trust), while foreign marketplaces are the least (44 percent).

“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 of Incogni. “Education is crucial; consumers need to recognize that every discount carries a substantial data cost.”

You can read more on the Incogni blog.

Image credit: Cacaroot/Dreamstime.com