Are abstainers different from voluntary contributors of personal information? Implications for direct marketing practice

Abstract

The disclosure of detailed, non-transactional, individual-level consumer information for direct marketing purposes is essentially voluntary in nature. This raises the possibility that those consumers who elect to disclose such information may be atypical of the general population. Using 256 personal interviews and a case study this paper explores demographic and value-system differences between contributors of personal information and abstainers, and provides a phenomenological insight into the reasons underlying the differences. The results of this study reveal that consumers who voluntarily contribute personal information are different to those who abstain, both qualitatively and with respect to values, prompting a reappraisal of current targeting and customer profiling methods. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]