Identity platform Auth0 has announced the findings of a study it conducted with YouGov, revealing that most organisations fail to meet consumer expectations around login technology.
The online study was conducted at the end of February and questioned 8,000 consumers and 1,200 IT and marketing decision-makers in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan.
An Appetite for Advanced Authentication
According to the report, 49% of consumers were more likely to sign up for an app or online service if multi-factor authentication (MFA) was on offer, with 47% more likely to sign up if a company offers single sign-on (SSO). Other motivating factors were biometrics at 46%, social logins at 37% and passwordless entry at 34%.
Despite these expectations, most businesses do not offer anything beyond traditional passwords. Only SSO came close to being present in a majority of businesses at 45% adoption, with MFA, biometrics, social logins and passwordless trailing behind at 28%, 21%, 31% and 20% respectively. 11% of IT decision makers surveyed said they didn’t offer any such technologies.
As a result, customer experiences and brand relationships are being damaged. “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.”
A geographical disparity was also noted by the study, with European organisations being behind the curve versus APAC counterparts in the adoption of biometrics, with 34% of IT and marketing decision-makers surveyed in Singapore and Australia saying their companies currently offer customers the ability to log in with the use of biometrics. APAC organisations are also ahead in social logins and MFA.
“MFA and SSO are still relatively new technologies for the vast majority of organisations, and developing biometrics or passwordless is a heavy lift,” said Rees-Pullman. “With a modern identity platform, businesses can not only offer the easiest and most secure user experience possible, but they can also experiment with different login options to find what works best for their audience.”
