Personalized digital marketing value-in-use: examining the influences on consumers’ continuum of interactive marketing avoidance behaviors

Purpose This study examines how digital personalization value-in-use shapes consumers’ responses across two interactive marketing touchpoints, influencing engagement in a continuum of interactive marketing avoidance behaviors, including reactive, proactive and future avoidance intentions. Design/methodology/approach PLS-SEM is used to empirically test survey data from 436 digital natives via a comprehensive mediated model integrating the personalization-privacy paradox, personalization value-in-use and a continuum of three interactive marketing personalization avoidance behaviors. Findings Results show that personalization’s value-in-use reduces proactive avoidance and reactive avoidance. The study also shows how personalization’s value-in-use is context-driven, with the value of personalized website experiences surprisingly increasing reactive avoidance. Practical implications Balancing digital personalization and privacy across mobile and website experiences is critical to reducing consumer reactance. Otherwise, marketers may drive privacy-sensitive consumers to exert greater control over interactive marketing experiences via a continuum of avoidance strategies that decrease the future personalization’s relevance and contribute to a cycle of reactance and avoidance. Originality/value Extending privacy calculus and approach–avoidance theory, this study demonstrates how digital personalization’s value-in-use can enhance consumer decision-making while also triggering interactive avoidance in certain contexts.