PwC India survey, resurfacing October 2023 finding, showed only 9% of firms seek clear data consent post-DPDP Act
PwC India's survey of 100 companies, conducted around October 2023, found just nine seek clear user-data consent after the Digital Personal Data Protection Act took effect, highlighting a compliance gap for consumer-facing and retail businesses.
The development
PwC India found only nine out of the 100 companies surveyed seek clear user-data consent after the DPDP Act took effect on August 11.
The numbers
- August 11
- nine out of the 100
- 41%
- 43%
- two years
Why it matters to operators and investors
Retailers should urgently audit consent flows, data capture and customer permissions, as PwC India finds only 9% of companies are obtaining clear consent under the DPDP Act.
What to watch next
- Notification of final DPDP Rules and phased compliance deadlines.
- Data Protection Board staffing, enforcement procedures and first penalty actions.
- Rising consumer complaints about unwanted marketing, loyalty-program data use or consent withdrawal failures.
- Major retailer, marketplace, fintech or ad-tech data breaches that increase enforcement pressure.
- Changes in digital advertising performance or customer acquisition costs as consent rates and third-party targeting decline.
The counter-case
The 9% figure may overstate a retail-specific compliance crisis: the survey covers only 100 companies with unspecified sector mix and sampling methodology, while many businesses may be redesigning consent flows, relying on permitted processing grounds, or awaiting final operational rules and enforcement clarity. For large retailers, compliance may be a manageable implementation cost rather than a material earnings or operational risk.