Protecting privileged information: Trust in data

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I recently presented on the impact of Covid-19 on macro consumer spending habits in UK supermarkets and the forecast for the coming year. I have made an annual market presentation for several years, but this survey statement really grabbed my attention: ‘My number one concern is to get food onto the table.’

This response came from a large number of households that have been newly impacted by the virus. These are people who may have been furloughed, or are experiencing a change in their economic situation, affecting the way they live.

As ever with data, a comparative observation really brought this to life; among households that feel insulated from the financial impact of Covid-19, their number one concern is ‘to be able to meet friends and family again’.

This is really personal information. The analysis served as a reminder to me of how privileged we, as data analysts, are to be able to get everyday access into the lives of the consumer. Even better than that, we get to build analytics based on that data, and build a layer into our story that brings the human element to life for the audience. For a household (this survey came from a shopping panel) to give that honest perspective of their personal situation is really powerful and should not be taken for granted.

Data such as this is shared when the individual has the confidence that what they are sharing is being used in the right way, and as they expect. Whether it be ‘passively’ collected or declared behaviour, trust in the usage of data is vital, and we have a duty as an industry to protect this valuable asset and to respect the way consumers give us permission to access their lives. A few front-page headlines on misuse of personal data could set our industry back at a time when the potential for bigger and better customer analytics is growing and needed.

The advances in mobile phone technology and our online footprint provide the possibility of greater insight into personal behaviour that go beyond ‘surveyed’ responses. Given the number of data moments being created, and the ability to store information growing and becoming more affordable, we are theoretically able to make connections of behaviour at increasingly granular levels, and across multiple parts of someone’s life.

It is the connectivity of the data that offers the richest datasets possible, but it is where we have to proceed with care and caution. To make this level of connection requires the individual to give that permission and, as data users, we have to respect that permission as the basis of our available datasets.

With so many behavioural observations on individuals at our disposal, will we need access to survey and attitudinal information in future? There is a debate about the use of survey data and the efficacy of data because of the time to rationalise responses – but, for me, the strength of analytics has always been to develop and use new and old approaches to create a rounded picture of behaviour.

After all, people are varied in nature and, most of the time, we are not robots. A combination of behavioural observation and claimed analytics can ensure that we bring a factual base and, when it is required, build an emotional element of consumer behaviour into our work.

As an industry, we may find ways to reward the individual to give access, but we have to keep the consumer on our side if we want to continue to use this asset.

The first question I ask when looking to work with people-based data is: do we have the permission to work with data in the way the person expected? There is a strong privacy framework in place through law and we must strive to operate within the boundaries of the permissions, but most importantly ensure that we favour the individual perspective over short-term commercial advancement.

I believe that we are accelerating to a world where people see their data as ever more valuable and may start to commercialise their own behavioural footprint. The legislation on open banking information access puts more knowledge in the hands of the individual if they want it.

That theme will evolve, but – whatever happens – we need to act with integrity, and respect the asset to ensure that, when we need it, we can choose to make the connection between behaviour and emotions to bring to life the reality of the households around us in the most compelling way.

This article was first published in the April 2021 issue of Impact.