Vem äter kakan? : En kvalitativ studie kring klädbranschens nyttjande av personlig data i marknadsföringssyfte i relation till kundens integritet online

Sammanfattning: History: Digitalization brings great benefits to companies regardless of market. One of the markets that is undergoing change is the retail sector where e-commerce services are the new environment. This environment benefits from the innovative solutions that the consumer uses, such as smartphones. These and other connected devices are constantly generating user data that companies can then take advantage of. This, in turn, has sparked discussions about the individual's integrity in relation to companies' use of this data. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate how retail companies in Sweden use personal data for marketing purposes and how important it is for the consumer to maintain their online integrity and how personalized advertising is perceived by the consumer. Theory: The theories and concepts that are explored are personal data, big data, data-driven marketing, CRM, the marketing mix as well as integrity and security. Every theory is described thoroughly and summarized to create an understanding as to why these are selected.  Methodology: Methodical choices have been made in the form of targeting the Swedish clothing industry and Swedish consumers. A qualitative approach was used. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from a company and a trade organization selected through a benchmarked selection of candidates. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with eight consumers close or related to the researchers. Results: The results show an uncertainty of customers when it comes to what companies are allowed to do and how they actually use their personal data. Some also find it unsettling to receive personalized advertisements. Others appreciate advertisement based on their preferences. The company representatives saw an overarching possibility to create better personalized experiences for the customer thanks to the data generated.  Conclusions: Based on the study's results, it can be concluded that companies in the clothing industry in Sweden use data from the consumer for marketing purposes to both retain customers and create new customer relationships. The personal data collected has proven to be very important for companies from a competitive perspective. The study suggests that the consumer values his or her integrity highly but does not act accordingly and is largely unaware of any restrictions on his or her online privacy. The general attitude the consumer has towards personalized advertising is that it is unpleasant. However, the study also shows that it can be appreciated, given that the content is interesting for the consumer. Should opportunities for financial compensation from the companies to access individual personal data, the consumer would not choose to take advantage of this.