Janrain

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - October 26, 2016) - Janrain®, the leading company that created the Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) category, today announced the results of a new Consumer Identity Trends U.K. survey that shows while social login use is growing in popularity thanks to the 79% now suffering from password fatigue, 96% are nonetheless concerned about how their account data and activity are being shared and used.

While UK consumers are largely in favor of biometric authentication -- 61% are open to the idea of using fingerprint scanning or voice recognition to access accounts online -- social logins, which allow web users to quickly sign up or log on to sites using the credentials from another site, are overwhelmingly the preferred authentication method. Facebook continues to dominate in global social login rankings with 45% of all social logins using its platform. This is consistent with 45% in Q1 2016. Google comes in second with 26% (up from 25%), Yahoo at 10% and Twitter with 9%. While individual percentages didn't change drastically, overall social login traffic increased by almost 10% from Q1 to Q2 in 2016.

The Benefits of Personalisation vs. the Consequences of Over-Marketing

The majority of web users (61%) say they accept the value and convenience of using social logins while another 52% say they often refuse to sign up to a new site without one. Perhaps most heartening for marketers is the discovery that nearly a quarter of British citizens are already realising the personalisation benefits that come from using the same identity across two or more of their accounts.

But companies that want to continue enjoying the data with which their customers have trusted them must exercise caution in how that data is used-especially since only 16% of those surveyed say brands are successfully marketing to them online in a way that's personal and relevant. Not only does misuse hurt adoption of social logins among users, Janrain's survey shows it can result in even more serious ramifications: a full third of web users will punish over-marketing by not returning to the offender's website, while a quarter warn that they'll stop buying products from the company altogether. Brands must find meaningful ways to engage at an individual consumer level.

Data Sharing: A Matter of Transparency and Control

While it's already been demonstrated that users have grown much more comfortable with sharing personal information in exchange for more personalised marketing and services, Janrain's survey shows 60% are willing to share their account data and activity as long as it's used only by the company, while 46% want the company to be very clear in how their info will be used. 41% say they're more willing to share data as long as it's with a brand they trust.

However, for many (35%), it depends on the amount and type of data. Of all those surveyed, 31% are comfortable with sharing movies, books or sports teams they've Liked on Facebook, for instance. This presents brands with a growing opportunity to connect to the interests and hobbies of consumers for much deeper relationships. Few, on the other hand, are automatically willing to share such personal info as relationship status (10%), political views (6%), religion (6%), friends (6%), and photos (5%), while less than a quarter will share info simply to get something in return, such as a product offer or exclusive content.

"Social logins are table stakes for online businesses since most web users will no longer sign up to a new site without them," said Janrain VP of Product Jamie Beckland. "But privacy concerns are understandably high given some recent high-profile data breaches. Businesses need to do a better job in the way they use account data to market to users, as well as make sure they're clearly explaining how the account info they access is used and shared."

300 UK residents 18 years old and over participated in the Janrain Consumer Identity Trends survey, conducted online during the months of September and October of 2016.

For Janrain's full UK report and infographic on this topic, click HERE .

About Janrain

Founded in 2002, Janrain pioneered Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM). Janrain's CIAM platform provides management, security and activation solutions that enable seamless and safe customer experiences across their digitally connected world, while providing enterprise organizations with deep customer insights. Janrain's identity capabilities include social and traditional login and registration, single sign-on, customer profile data storage and management, customer segments, customer insights and engagement solutions. The company powers brands like Pfizer, Samsung, Whole Foods, Fox News, Philips, Marvel and Dr Pepper. Janrain is based in Portland, Oregon, with offices in London, Paris and the Silicon Valley in California. For more information, please visit www.janrain.com and follow @janrain.