Member Article

UK businesses are failing to meet consumer expectations for login experiences

A new study has revealed that businesses in the UK fall short on consumer expectations on login technologies, risking consumer frustration, lost sales and perhaps most worrying, the increased threat of credential stuffing attacks.

‘The Login Experience Customers Want’ report was conducted online by identity expert Auth0 and YouGov, consisting of two surveys, questioning more than 8,000 consumers and 1,200 IT and marketing decision makers in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.

Among its results, the study found that consumers around the world want greater choice in login technologies, and actively seek them out. Nearly half (49%) of consumers surveyed say they are more likely to sign up to an application or online service if a company offers Multi-factor Authentication (MFA). Almost half (47%) are also more likely to sign up if they can log in with Single Sign-On (SSO) – using a single ID and password for multiple related services, followed closely by demand for biometrics (46%), social logins (37%), and passwordless (34%).

Today, most businesses don’t offer these login options, despite the demand, and general frustration with using traditional passwords. While 45% of businesses surveyed do offer SSO capabilities, less than one-third offer MFA (28%), biometrics (21%), social logins (31%), or passwordless (20%). Across the six markets surveyed, 11% of the IT and marketing decision makers said they don’t offer any of these login technologies.

“Clearly there’s a gap between consumer and business expectations, but it really comes down to convenience. Consumers want to use digital services, but if the login process is clunky or frustrating, they will take their businesses elsewhere,” said Steven Rees-Pullman, SVP, International at Auth0. “With the proliferation of online threats, organisations are challenged to find the right balance between ease and security, and it’s really an ‘aha moment’ when they realise how identity management can help.”

Comparing the results internationally, European organisations are on par with their Asia-Pacific counterparts in offering SSO for their customers. However, they’re well behind the curve when it comes to biometric login adoption versus consumer expectations. UK businesses are falling especially short when it comes to biometrics, where only 14% of businesses offer biometrics, MFA (28%), and passwordless (13%).

APAC organisations are ahead of their European counterparts in offering technology such as social logins, biometrics, and MFA. Australian and Singaporean businesses are twice as likely to use biometric login, with 34% of IT and marketing decision makers surveyed saying their companies currently offer customers the ability to log in with the use of biometrics, compared to Germany (17%), Japan (15%), France (14%), and the UK (14%).

“MFA and SSO are still relatively new technologies for the vast majority of organisations, and developing biometrics or passwordless is a heavy lift,” adds Rees-Pullman. “With a modern identity platform, businesses can not only offer the easiest and most secure user experience possible, they can also experiment with different login options to find what works best for their audience.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by D Baker .