Dassault Systèmes conducts survey of 3,000 adults in the U.S., China, and France.
Since Generation X, there has been less resistance to expensive personalized products.
88% of consumers say providing personal information requires thorough management.


Today's young consumers are driving the trend toward personalization that improves products and services, quality of life, and personal safety, and they are willing to pay more and share their personal information for these experiences, according to research.

Dassault Systèmes announced the results of a survey with these contents at CES 2020, held in Las Vegas, USA from the 7th to the 10th. This survey was conducted jointly by Dassault Systèmes and market research firm CITE Research, targeting 3,000 adults in the United States, China, and France.

In this survey, consumers revealed differences across generations, regions, and technology levels in their views on personalization in mobility, healthcare, shopping, and residential and urban environments; their definition of personalization; and what they are willing to sacrifice for personalization.

The results show that most consumers value personalization for healthcare and personal safety, but express concerns about how their data is collected and managed to achieve this.

The detailed survey results are as follows.

Consumers want personalization, but they don't want delays. Eighty-three percent of consumers expect personalized products and services to be delivered immediately, without waiting. Only 21% said they would be willing to wait more than four days.

Consumers were willing to pay an average of 25.3% for personalization. However, they also said they would be willing to pay an average of 25.6% in return for providing their personal data. While they were willing to pay more for personalized healthcare services, they were less willing to pay for personalized shopping experiences.

The industry needed to clearly define personalization. Consumers define personalization differently. Over 50% of consumers define it as customizing products and services before purchase or selecting desired products and services from a large number of options. In contrast, 63% of early adopters defined products and services as being developed based on personal data.

Consumers appear to prefer personalized products or services that benefit their health, such as behavioral alerts that can help prevent accidents.

Ninety-six percent of consumers expressed concerns about data privacy. Most consumers are willing to share only the data they agreed to share in exchange for personalization, and six in ten are even more willing to share anonymized data. Eighty-eight percent of consumers said they would abandon personalized services if they were unsure how their data was being managed. Sixty-eight percent said consumer demand would lead to greater data privacy protections.

AI, 5G, and smart homes are expected to become more personalized. Nearly half of respondents said 5G technology is particularly necessary for personalized healthcare, while shopping is less important.

Expectations for personalization varied across generations. Generation X (born in the 60s and 70s), Millennials (born in the 80s and 90s), and Generation Z (born in the late 90s to early 2000s) were more willing to provide data for better personalization than Baby Boomers (born in the 40s and 60s) and the Silent Generation (born in the mid-20s to mid-40s), and were more willing to agree to provide personal information for personal safety, time, and economic benefits. 60% of baby boomers preferred personalization of healthcare, 24% of Gen Z preferred personalization of mobility, and 21% of millennials preferred personalization of the environment.

Young Chinese consumers are more interested in personalization than their American and French counterparts, but Americans have the highest expectations for personalization. Consumers expect personalized products and services to become commonplace by 2030 and are willing to pay more for them.

“Consumers, especially younger consumers, are seeking personalized experiences as a differentiating factor,” said Florence Bergeran, Senior Vice President, Dassault Systèmes. “To capitalize on this trend, companies must strengthen data privacy protections while simultaneously collecting, analyzing, and transforming data.”

Meanwhile, Dassault Systèmes showcased personalized innovations at CES 2020, including customized shoes developed with ECCO, an electric autonomous vehicle developed with Canoo, and 5G technology.