Marketers worried martech vendors will expose their company to GDPR risks

Marketers worried martech vendors will expose their company to GDPR risks

Some 80% of marketers are concerned their organisation is at risk because their tech vendor is not GDPR compliant.

The research by Demandbase also found 32% of companies surveyed are fully-compliant with the legislation, with the majority still working to adhere to the regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation came into force at the end of May but 23% of marketers admitted they were not even aware of it.

Fatima Khan, chief privacy officer at Demandbase, said: “GDPR compliance is particularly important for the B2B industry because no company wants to do business with another company that’s going to be a liability for them.”

Many were looking to rectify the problem, with 75% reporting they plan to invest in more technology to improve their approach to data privacy.

Marketers identify four GDPR challenges

The survey unveiled four key challenges marketers were still facing. More than half (57%) found understanding GDPR difficult, while data management (44%), obtaining consent (40%) and technology barriers (37%) were also hurdles.

Marketers have predominantly been gaining consent via email (80%) and online forms (70%). Almost two-thirds (60%) of respondents are currently changing their global approach to privacy, with those in Europe and North America the most affected.

The majority agreed ensuring compliance will help their marketing team build trust with customers and help deliver a better customer experience.

Khan added: “Companies have to recognise that the GDPR isn’t a single compliance action, but instead is the start of a continuous process of re-evaluating privacy compliance as technologies and data processes evolve. With that said, I do believe that these privacy changes will ultimately create more transparency and provide new opportunities for marketing departments to be more engaging, clear and customer-centric.”

The research surveyed 255 marketers globally with 83.1% from either a B2B or blended business.

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