Public sentiment around customization Rapidly maturing technologies are expanding hinges on agency and trust. businesses’ experience customization capabilities, making the balance between customization and People feel a lack of agency over their experiences, and they’re holding consumer choice increasingly critical. companies responsible. In a McAfee survey, 43 percent of respondents felt they lacked control over their personal data, and 33 percent weren’t Immersive technologies like AR and VR are already being adopted by 36 sure if they could control how companies collect it. consumers today. An eMarketer report estimated that 68.7 million people in the US used AR at least monthly in 2019. By 2021, the report forecasts 40 When an individual lacks agency, personalization can feel like an that number will go up to 85 million. overstep. In a 2019 survey, 77 percent of consumers said that they 37 were uncomfortable when they noticed targeted online ads. And Enterprise spending on extended reality (XR) also shows no signs of a global survey from RSA Security found that just 17 percent of slowing down. According to IDC, worldwide spending on AR and VR respondents thought personalized ads were ethical.38 is expected to pass $18 billion in 2020—a 78.5% increase over 2019— and will reach $160 billion by 2023.41,42 Increasing distrust and discomfort affects consumer behavior, which negatively impacts business. In an Accenture survey, 58 percent of 5G networks are expected to enable faster and more interconnected consumers said they would switch half or more of their spending networks of people and devices, and the opportunities are growing to a provider that excels at personalizing experiences without quickly. The 5G infrastructure market is expected to rise at a compound compromising trust.39 annual growth rate (CAGR) of 76 percent between 2018-2026, according to Fortune Business Insights.43