Few consumers feel rewarded for sharing personal data with businesses: Aimia

TORONTO – A survey of 20,000 people in 11 countries done by Aimia Inc. suggests a minority of them were satisfied with the rewards they get in exchange for sharing personal information with businesses.

The Montreal-based company said 31 per cent of the Canadian respondents rated their personal information as “highly valuable” and 26 per cent said that they expect better service and benefits in return for sharing it.

Only eight per cent of the Canadian respondents felt they get better offers as a result of sharing the information.

Aimia executive David Johnson says companies have an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with their customers but the “golden moment” will quickly disappear if they fail to respond appropriately.

The company has employees in 20 countries including Canada and provides its clients with analytics of consumer data.

The 11-country global survey compiled responses from Australia, Brazil, Canada, several members of the European Union, India, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

In Canada, Aimia operates the Aeroplan customer loyalty program used by Air Canada, TD Bank and CIBC, and retailers.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the survey’s findings were about loyalty programs, rather than consumers in general.