Executive Summary

Marketers are using more location data than ever, but consumer privacy concerns and an evolving landscape have raised new challenges. Marketers must be more transparent and thoughtful about collecting and using geolocation.

How are marketers using location data?

Marketers still use real-time location data for targeting, but they increasingly view the data as a strategic asset that can tell them more about their customers, store performance and competitors.

Has location data quality improved?

The overall accuracy of data has improved due to more data coming from software development kits (SDKs) in apps. More importantly, marketers have improved their ability to distinguish good data from bad.

Have consumers changed their attitudes toward sharing location data?

Consumers appear more knowledgeable and skeptical about sharing location data, but they haven’t changed their behavior yet. Many consumers are willing to share their location data with marketers in exchange for some type of value. Others may want to reduce data sharing, but don’t know how. Regardless, it’s likely that consumers will demand more control over their data in the future.

How has the advertising industry reacted to GDPR?

Some third-party data collectors have withdrawn from the market, but clear consent rules appear to have improved the data quality coming from location data suppliers. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has also provided a model for regulations in other parts of the world.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report looks at how location data and consumer attitudes toward its use have evolved over the past year.

KEY STAT: The clear majority of US internet users are aware of active location tracking and will likely demand more control over its use.