On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the entry into application of the GDPR, what is the position of French companies? According to a study, the majority consider GDPR compliance necessary and useful.
This dynamic is particularly illustrated by their attention to choosing more privacy-friendly marketing and analytics solutions, especially when it comes to data activation and adoption of customer data platforms.
This is what emerges from the study conducted among 1,800 European companies, including 300 French companies, by Piwik PRO, a provider of digital data analysis software.
First remark, the GDPR is not a brake on business activity. 75% of French companies surveyed consider GDPR and similar laws important.
Almost 7 out of 10 companies (69.3%) find these regulations easy to understand and 6 out of 10 companies (60.6%) find them easy to implement. The main motivation to comply with the GDPR cited by French companies is the ability to establish a climate of trust with users and customers, at 57%. Company values come in second place (48.7%).
French delay
Regarding the impact of GDPR compliance on businesses, 33.7% of them say it has been positive for their business, and 86.3% say it has not had any negative impact (while only 13.7% see a negative impact).
81.7% of French respondents believe that it is entirely possible for businesses to comply with privacy laws when carrying out marketing activities.
However, French companies lag behind in some aspects of the matter compared to other European countries. Compared to the results in other European countries, French companies present some specifics, starting with the knowledge they have, where their marketing data is stored.
In fact, only 68.7% know where all the data in their marketing stack is stored, which is lower than the European average in the survey (70.7%).
It is also worrying to note that 27% of French companies accept that their marketing data leaves the European Economic Area (EEA). This is the highest response rate of any country – and more than 15% are unsure of even this information, indicating potential issues with data compliance and jurisdiction.
Local accommodation
In addition, when it comes to choosing European market technology solutions rather than solutions provided by Big Tech, 68.3% of French companies validate this choice, which is slightly lower than the average of all companies, at 70.9%.
Among the motivations for making this European choice, local hosting is cited by 48% of respondents, customer support by 43% and price by 42%. GDPR compliance comes in last position, at 25.3%, among French companies, while it reaches 34.9% in all countries combined.
Finally, data activation is considered crucial by 84.6% of French respondents, while the survey average is 80%. 73.7% of French respondents plan to set up a customer data platform (CDP), a dynamic again much higher than the general survey average (65%).
This study notes that overall companies have been able to make this change successfully, without sacrificing their goals or their performance.