(ECNS) - Over 80 percent of consumers fear that O2O businesses go too far in collecting individual information, according to two surveys.
The online-to-offline business model has penetrated many aspects of daily routine, such as housekeeping and beauty services, but people have varying opinions about it.
A survey by China News Service (CNS) finds that 35.7 percent of consumers regularly refer to O2O services, while an equal percentage never use them. On the other hand, 48.9 percent of consumers use O2O services occasionally, while 40.7 percent never do, according to a survey by Data100, a market research company.
The three most popular O2O businesses are food take-out (35.7 percent), movie ticket delivery (28.6 percent), and housekeeping services (10.7 percent), the CNS survey shows.
Both surveys find consumers are also worried about their privacy being over exposed. More than 78 percent of consumers do not believe it is necessary for O2O businesses to collect their personal information, such as phone numbers and bank accounts, according to the CNS survey. Data 100's survey finds that 70.3 percent of consumers hold the same opinion.
The surveys show that 85.7 percent (CNS) and 86.5 percent (Data100) of consumers suspect that O2O businesses are over-collecting personal information on cell phones.
An earlier report said that a car-washing service app collected consumers' private information and sold it to insurance companies. Each piece of private information was worth as much as 50 yuan (about $8).
In order to protect privacy, 39.4 percent of consumers believe new legislation is needed. Over 27 percent say individual consumers should be more cautious. Another 18.2 percent think businesses ought to behave themselves, says CNS.
According to Data100, 48.9 percent of consumers are asking for legislative protection, while 43.2 percent say personal security awareness is the key.
