January 15, 2026
This Holiday Season Normalised Data Oversharing With Brands
How much personal data did shoppers really give up this holiday season, and when did that start to feel normal?
The 2025 holiday rush pushed millions of consumers through fast checkouts, personalised offers, and last-minute delivery promises. In that rush, data sharing became part of the transaction. Email addresses, location details, browsing history, and preference signals were exchanged with little pause, as convenience took priority during peak shopping moments. Not to mention all the passive data that people leave behind by simply navigating the web.
A recent Clutch survey of 402 consumers shows that nearly 95% shopped online during the holidays. With digital channels doing most of the heavy lifting, personal information sits at the centre of the customer experience, often traded for speed, flexibility, and tailored recommendations.
Consumers Know How Much Data Brands Collect
Shoppers are not unaware of what they are giving up, since 47% of them believe brands collect extensive data on them, including preferences, location, and online behaviour. That awareness reflects a more informed consumer, but it has not eased concerns.
Nearly half of consumers (46%) say they feel uncomfortable sharing their data with brands, while 37% describe their feelings as neutral. Data sharing may be routine, but confidence in how that data is handled is still limited.
An overwhelming majority (98%) of consumers say transparency in data collection matters for brand trust. In addition, 97% believe brands should meet strict privacy and data protection standards, regardless of industry.
Despite all of this, 30% of consumers say they do not trust brands to use their data responsibly. Unclear privacy policies, complex consent language, and limited insight into how data is shared with third parties continue to raise doubts.
Personalisation Often Misses the Mark
Brands often justify data collection through personalisation, but 36% of consumers say personalisation tactics are not helpful at all. When personalisation does resonate, it tends to focus on simple, functional use cases.
Cart reminders and personalised product recommendations rank highest, each at 24%. Reminders for recently viewed items follow closely at 23%, with tailored emails or content at 22%. These interactions rely on limited, relevant data rather than broad tracking across platforms.
More aggressive tactics, such as ads that track consumers across multiple websites and apps, turn shoppers off. Sixty-two percent of consumers say these ads feel intrusive. The use of AI raises further hesitation, with 41% of consumers uncomfortable with brands using AI for personalisation.
Where Consumers Still Share Willingly
Email addresses are the information consumers are most comfortable sharing, with 65% willing to provide one. Financial incentives also influence behaviour, as more than 40% of consumers say they would share additional data in exchange for discounts or rewards.
There are signs of cautious confidence, with many consumers pointing to recent privacy laws as proof that data handling standards have improved. Almost 60% of consumers believe these laws have improved how brands handle data, and 56% trust that brands will delete their data if requested.
