- No trust without data protection – 62% of Germans say they trust a company that takes the protection of their data seriously
- German consumers on the hunt for bargains – 41% consider discount campaigns a good way for brands to start communicating with customers
- Data protection expectations are rising - 77% expect companies to handle their data responsibly as a matter of principle, up from 70% just a year ago.
Berlin, 24 June 2025: Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks and Mailchimp, today released the results of a Germany-wide consumer survey on data protection and customer trust. The survey of 2,000 respondents shows that adequate data protection is an essential factor in building trust between German consumers and companies.
The survey shows that 77% of German consumers expect to handle their data responsibly and communicate this clearly and transparently — up from 70% just a year ago. The comparison with Intuit Mailchimps Brand Trust Report from 2024 shows consumers are becoming more vocal about the privacy of their data and their expectations for how brands handle it. Companies are under greater pressure to make communication with their customers even more transparent in order to build long-term customer trust. 62% of German consumers confirm that they trust a company that clearly takes data protection seriously.
According to our study, specific data protection measures that have been proven to strengthen consumer trust in companies in this regard include not passing on data to third parties (51%), limiting data collection to only what is really necessary (40%) and a comprehensive privacy policy in simple language (35%).
In addition to building trust in the responsible handling of personal data, companies must also create relevant incentives that provide consumers with added value in return for their data. According to the survey results, a discount code is the most effective approach: 41% of respondents see this as a good way to start communicating with a brand. In addition, highly personalized offers (20%) is a benefit that customers value in return for sharing their data with businesses.
"Data protection is extremely important to German consumers. Our study clearly shows that without responsible data protection, a company cannot build trust among German consumers," explains Franz Riedl, DACH Lead at Intuit Mailchimp. "Companies that want to send a strong signal about data protection should ensure that both their internal processes and the tools, solutions and platforms they use meet data protection requirements and, above all, are GDPR-compliant. This is critical to lay the foundation for long-term trust."
Companies that want to build trust must plan for the long term and proceed with care: One third of respondents (32%) say that nothing can restore their trust in a brand once it has been lost. However, the following measures can help to rebuild customer trust: GDPR certification (34%), transparent communication (33%) and credible customer reviews (30%) are considered by respondents to be measures that inspire trust.
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About the survey
The data comes from a recent representative online survey conducted by Intuit Mailchimp in collaboration with the market research consultancy Savanta on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on attitudes, expectations and behaviours in dealing with data protection and brand communication. The study was conducted in Germany among 2,000 consumers. The complete data can be provided on request.