Poll: Amazon more trustworthy than Facebook

The most trustworthy entities, researchers found, were grocery stores. Other interesting findings include:

• 81% of respondents said they were 'comfortable with' grocery stores' use of purchase information to deliver relevant coupons
• 47% of 18-34 year olds said they were comfortable with mobile providers using location-with-permission to send relevant information

"Facebook's business is based on the use of consumer data to target ads. They clearly have a challenge convincing their huge user base that there is value in the exchange of personal data for a free service," said Placecast CEO Alistair Goodman. "In contrast, Amazon is a company just a few years older than Facebook, but they have created a scenario where consumers understand and accept the benefit their data provides for the service they are receiving - much like consumer's acceptance of grocery coupons tied to purchase data."

"There is great potential for the use of location for targeting on mobile," said Kathryn Koegel, Chief of Insights for Primary Impact consulting, which worked with Placecast and Harris to develop the poll. "Location is incredibly predictive of purchase intent - you are where you intend to buy - and marketers should look closely at acceptable, permission-based ways to use this data. As more and more consumers use apps that convey a specific benefit for turning on location tracking on their device - finding movies, restaurants, retail and entertainment options near them - they will be increasingly open to this kind of info being used by marketers to push relevant offers."

The use of consumer data to provide more relevant experiences or to offer more relevant products/advertising is not new. While many consumers are okay with the use of anonymous data to offer these improved experiences, a growing number worry about the security of their personal information. Some also worry that the data isn't kept private or anonymous, according to other research.

Tags: ad targeting, advertising, advertising data, Amazon, ecommerce research, Facebook, Placecast