Ping Identity, a leading provider of seamless and secure digital experiences, released its annual survey that evaluates Australian consumer sentiment around engaging with brands online. The report surveyed 1600 Australian consumers and found a need for easier and more secure capabilities that address concerns around identity theft and simplified access.
Expanding on trends from last year’s report, consumers are emphasising their need for convenience online, but continue to place value on effective security strategies. According to the new findings, 81 per cent say that ease of use is important to their digital experiences, 58 per cent would switch to a comparable brand if it offered passwordless authentication, and 65 per cent are most concerned about identity theft, ahead of financial loss (just 40 per cent), when it comes to having their information online.
“In today’s digital economy, consumers hold all of the power. Rather than simply accepting the product, service, price or conditions an organisation can offer, consumers are using the weight of their numbers to redefine the rules of engagement. Not only is there more competition among brands to see who can deliver the best digital experience, but consumers are more informed than ever. They know what they want from a positive digital experience – and are willing to leave for a competitor that does it better,” said Ashley Diffey (lead image), VP sales APAC and Japan, Ping Identity. “To stay ahead of competition, businesses need to create easy, secure and personalised experiences that alleviate security concerns without collecting too much personal data.”
Key Australian findings underline the importance of ease of use:
- 57 per cent have stopped using an account or online service because they became frustrated with the login process; a decrease from 63 per cent in 2022.
- 60 per cent are still storing passwords by memory alone, with 58 per cent admitting they have too many to keep track of.
- 40 per cent of consumers would leave an online service to switch to a competitor if the competitor’s login process was significantly easier.
While Australian consumers want simple digital experiences, they also want to know their data is secure, especially given the recent proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI):
- 53 per cent are concerned about the possible use of AI technology to create fake impersonations.
- 53 per cent say that the use of MFA makes them feel better about the service because it suggests that the business cares about protecting their data.
- Only nine per cent of consumers have full trust in the organisations they manage their identity data, with the most trust in banks (60 per cent) and healthcare services (50 per cent).
To ease consumers’ concerns, businesses should emphasise that they are adhering to consumer data privacy regulations and take steps to allow consumers to limit their personal information sharing:
- 61 per cent say that having privacy laws enacted to protect consumer data and knowing that the website vendor is complying with those regulations makes them feel more secure when sharing information online.
- 69 per cent think that they will never be fully in control of their personal information online.
- 77 per cnet would like to limit both the types of information about themselves that companies have access to and the number of companies that currently have access to their personal data.
The findings detailed in this report are based on responses collected from two surveys. The first survey gathered responses from 9,519 consumers across 14 regions around the world and the second survey gathered responses from 3,400 consumers in five select markets: the US, UK, France, Germany, and Australia, to learn more about consumer attitudes around their digital experiences, from engaging with brands to their security preferences.
