In a recent report by Okta, an intriguing revelation was made: a staggering 90% of Canadians expressed that they valued control over their personal data during their online brand interactions. As a tech enthusiast, the blend of privacy concerns and user experience here presents an interesting paradigm shift in the digital landscape.
Okta’s inaugural Global Customer Identity Trends Report, a comprehensive survey carried out over the period of August 2022 to February 2023, encompassed over 21,000 global consumers, of which more than 1,500 were Canadian. One of the key findings was that Canadians, 76% of them to be exact, were prepared to sacrifice a seamless user experience to maintain dominion over their data.
Yet, the winning ticket for businesses appears to be the combination of both smooth user experience and data security. Dan Kagan, the SVP and country manager of Okta in Canada, elaborated, "Canadians are eager to keep a firm grip on their data. However, businesses that can weave that control into an optimal user experience will foster deeper, more meaningful relationships with their customers. The balance between security, control, and a frictionless user experience is not a zero-sum game.”
Interestingly, the report also highlights that 65% of Canadians are more inclined to open their wallets if provided with a secure, simple, and seamless login process. Conventional username and password authentication seemed to be the preferred security measure for 51% of the respondents, followed by multi-factor authentication (42%), and then biometric authentication (34%).
A striking dilemma noted in the report was that nearly 70% of the respondents admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of usernames and passwords they had to manage. Such an overload of information often led to forgotten passwords, causing access difficulties and heightening exposure to data breaches. Yet, an unexpected 70% of the respondents confessed confidence in their security practices and believed they were adequately safeguarding their data.
In the midst of this digital chaos, only 25% of respondents reported using password managers. There is a slight upward trend in using digital wallets, with 42% of Canadians utilizing them daily or weekly. However, half of the surveyed consumers stated their reluctance to trust anyone but themselves with the ownership or security of their personal digital wallet data.
Concerns about data protection (49%), unease with online information storage (43%), and a desire to avoid leaving a digital footprint (39%) seem to be significant deterrents against digital wallet adoption. Even more telling is the limited trust Canadians place in governments, cybersecurity firms, and non-profit organizations to secure their digital wallet data.
Kagan proposed a solution to these growing concerns, suggesting that businesses should "embrace passwordless authentication methods as a standard. This would enable consumers to navigate the digital landscape seamlessly and safely." This highlights the necessity for brands to strike a balance between user experience, security, and data control. Innovation in digital identity management will likely become a critical area of focus as businesses grapple with these evolving consumer trends.
See the full report here. (Registration required)
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