Privacy, accessibility and sustainability: market trends

Privacy accessibility sustainability describe three expectations that now shape purchasing behaviour across every sector. Analysis firms track them separately, and the data points in the same direction: consumers reward businesses that handle data carefully, design for everyone and reduce their environmental impact. For marketing teams, the three themes decide which messages land and which campaigns waste budget.

Privacy and data management

Marketing leaders expect the balance between data collection and privacy regulation to become harder to manage. 60% say so. Even though 85% of the companies surveyed by Gartner have formal policies for handling customer data, 82% prioritise first-party data, and 42% rely on personalisation to send one-to-one messages. Research also shows how seriously international operators treat the issue: almost a third ended a relationship with an agency or channel partner in the previous year because of privacy or customer trust concerns.

Sponsorship spending

The European sponsorship market grew 4.3% in 2022, reaching EUR 29.05 billion across sport and non-sport properties. The United Kingdom recorded the largest increase, 10%, partly driven by the growth of the Premier League.

Accessibility and younger consumers

47% of Generation Z consumers avoid brands that ignore accessibility. The figure shows how closely the youngest buyers link a purchase to the values a company demonstrates. Audio description, also delivered through voice interfaces, gives brands a practical way to bring accessibility into their online services: 63% of people with communication difficulties say it makes websites easier to use.

Sustainability and purchasing power

The cost of energy is perceived as the biggest threat to business. 43% of global business leaders rank rising energy prices first, ahead of weak customer demand at 25%, cybersecurity at 24%, higher taxes at 24% and access to talent at 20%, among 3,396 leaders surveyed. Consumers send a different signal. Almost eight in ten, 79%, say their interest in a brand's content would grow if the company demonstrated a commitment to climate action, and 57% appreciate brands that support an environmental cause in a meaningful way. Just under 60% favour advertisers with sustainable ethics, and 56% agree that a brand's sustainability stance can influence their purchase decisions.

Cost still constrains intent. While 96% of readers take some positive environmental action, 62% say a drop in income discourages them from buying sustainable products, which often carry a higher price. Audiences also expect facts and leadership from media: around 70% agree that media should use their platforms to educate on environmental topics, and almost 80% see a similar responsibility regarding the cost of living.

What the data tells businesses

The three trends reinforce one another. A company that collects only the data it needs, makes its digital services usable by more people and reports its environmental choices honestly answers all three expectations at once. That combination is difficult to fake and easy to verify, which is why it shapes brand preference and, increasingly, the decisions buyers make at the point of purchase.

The three trends converge in how a site is built, and sustainable web design is where the environmental cost becomes measurable.