81% of Brits are concerned about the use of their personal data and 95% feel it's important that their data is protected when online, according to research from Motive.co.

The company surveyed 2,000 UK consumers.

67% said they had left a site due to concerns about how their data might be used.

Additionally eight out of ten had concerns about their data being tracked, captured and sold on to advertisers when accepting a website’s consent banner and privacy policy.

The top five places online where consumers felt most risk at risk was as follows: social media (72%), browsing the web (51%), instant messaging apps (39%), e-commerce websites (33%), news sites (21%).

Jonathan Newman, CEO at Motive.co, sys: “It’s vital that all retailers, no matter their size, provide consumers with an online shopping experience that they can trust and enjoy. What this study shows is the high value that consumers place on their personal data.”

“We want to empower retailers to not only provide enhanced online shopping experiences that can compete with big brands, but to also create and cultivate consumer trust and loyalty through a non intrusive and privacy-first approach.” 

The research also highlights the significant challenges that lay ahead and importance for companies and retailers to effectively communicate their data privacy practices.

52% of those surveyed admitted they don’t understand what they are agreeing to when clicking on consent banners online and 74% find the privacy policies themselves hard to understand. 

88% find consent banners annoying and 68% have left a website due to difficulty with navigating these  banners.