• Marketing Land
  • Sections
    • CMO
    • Social
    • SEM
    • SEO
    • Analytics
    • Display
    • Retail
    • MarTech
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • Marketing Land
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Analytics
  • Display
  • Retail
  • MarTech
  • Resources
  • More
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

Marketing Land

Marketing Land
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Analytics
  • Display
  • Retail
  • MarTech
  • Resources
  • More
  • Home
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Mobile Marketing

A year after GDPR, mobile notifications are up, location sharing is down

Airship examined mobile app permissions data from more than 700 million users worldwide.

Greg Sterling on May 22, 2019 at 11:42 am
  • More

In the wake of GDPR and a constant drumbeat of largely negative privacy news in Europe and North America, consumers and marketers are adapting to a changed landscape.

In Europe, more limited third-party data may have lead to growth in mobile app notifications as marketers rely more heavily on first-party tools. The post-GDPR environment has also resulted in more selective location sharing by consumers, research shows. That’s also true in the U.S., where new privacy rules have yet to take effect.

Notifications average 36 per month. Mobile app audiences are up by nearly 17% on average compared with a year ago when GDPR took effect. Marketers and publishers are sending more notifications globally, on average 36 per month. These insights come from an Airship review of user engagement with mobile app permissions and notifications worldwide since May 2018. Data from more than 700 million users was examined for the study.

The notifications opt-in rate, Airship reports, is 67% of users overall. These numbers vary, however, by region.

Source: Airship

In the Americas specifically there has been a small 0.9% decline in notifications opt-ins but an increase the the number of notifications being sent. But what’s more interesting is the data on location opt-in rates.

GDPR Europe sees fewer location opt-ins. Northern and Western Europe have the lowest location opt-in rates of all the regions studied (4.4% and 2.1% respectively). That represents a significant drop from a year ago, as privacy sensitivity has caused more people to decline location sharing.

Location opt-ins are off 25% in North America overall.

However, in specific verticals such as entertainment and food, location sharing is up considerably. This likely reflects the utility of sharing location for mobile app users in these contexts. It also suggests that marketers and brands will need to make a stronger case for location permissions going forward. Store locator “1.0” functionality will no longer cut it.

Source: Airship

Users consciously selective about sharing location. The Airship data also reflects interesting differences between users on iOS and Android. Pre-Android Q users are blocking location more often than iOS users, who have the option to share location only while an app is in use. Android Q adopts this approach, which should make future location permissions on Android look more like iOS.

On iOS, “unprompted” location sharing is up, which suggests caution among some developers and a recognition of the value of app location among users. Airship didn’t have visibility into the app categories where this was happening. In addition, fewer users on both platforms seem to be disabling location less often.

Why we should care. Users are becoming more thoughtful and careful about when they share location and why. Developers and marketers will have to make a stronger case to users to get them to opt-in. However, this massive study also makes clear that mobile notifications continue to be a powerful marketing and customer engagement channel globally as first party data and tools take on much more importance in a post-GDPR (and soon CCPA) world.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Apple: iOSApple: iPhoneChannel: Mobile MarketingGDPR - General Data Protection RegulationGoogleGoogle: AndroidGoogle: MapsGoogle: MobileGoogle: PrivacyMobile Marketing

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

February 23, 2021: SMX Report

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

October 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

December17, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

White Papers

  • 6 Powerful Ways Experience Analytics Can Help Your Business Now
  • Email Tune-Up: A 5-Point Inspection to Get Your Program in Gear
  • Digital Marketing Report Q4 2020: Benchmarks and Insights for 2021
  • Data SEO – The Next Big Adventure
  • Getting Started with Email Marketing Automation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • The Secret Behind SEO Success: Predict Rank with the Power of Data Science
  • How to Avoid the Digital Transformation Trap
  • How to Build a Marketing System of Record
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

h
Receive daily marketing news & analysis.
Marketing Land
Download the Marketing Land app on iTunes Download the Marketing Land App on Google Play

Channels

  • MarTech
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Mobile
  • Analytics
  • Retail
  • Display

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • SMX

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • MarTech Conference
  • Search Marketing Expo

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Youtube
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok