In an IBM study of the Empowered Customer with a sample size of 28,000 global consumers, a fundamental change is emerging.  Customers are increasingly open to providing information about themselves in exchange for perceived benefit such as improved personalization, service, etc.  And remember, this is on a global scale .. not something that is a US only trend.

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In fact, I was surprised to see that 75% are willing to provide information on media usage and demographics but almost 60% of global customers are willing to provide information about their lifestyle and locations which will enable companies to further tailor the shopping experience. 

I think this is significant as 73% of CEOs are investing in customer insights.   These factoids tell us that a client would be willing to spend an additional 20 minutes if you provide them with some value.