Industry Brief

State of Privacy Management in Retail

Stay Ahead of Privacy Risks in Retail — 2025 Insights Inside

In 2025, the retail sector is being reshaped by a privacy environment defined by omnichannel data collection, aggressive personalization, and increasingly borderless enforcement. From websites and apps to marketplaces, retail media networks, and in-store experiences, retailers are expected to deliver seamless consent, transparency, and control over preferences. At the same time, regulators tighten oversight of cookies, targeted ads, dark patterns, biometrics, and cross-border data sharing. The result: privacy is no longer a back-office compliance task, but a frontline driver of brand trust and customer loyalty.

The 2025 State of Privacy Management for the Retail Industry Brief delivers exclusive insights from retail executives, managers, and employees worldwide, drawn from TrustArc’s Global Privacy Benchmarks Survey. This in-depth benchmarking report shows where retail organizations are leading—and lagging—in privacy maturity, board oversight, privacy-by-design, AI governance, and the automation of data subject rights.

What You’ll Learn Inside

Retail is facing a fast-tightening, omnichannel privacy reality. Download this report to uncover:

Omnichannel compliance is now mandatory, not optional: Universal opt-outs, dark-pattern and “consent-or-pay” crackdowns, DSA marketplace rules, and biometric scrutiny mean retailers must honor consent and transparency across every touchpoint, digital and in-store.
Retail lags global privacy maturity, especially in governance: Retail ranks 12th of 17 sectors on the TrustArc Global Privacy Index (54% vs. 61% global average), with the biggest gaps in board oversight, privacy-by-design, champions networks, and accountability.
AI and automation are the make-or-break advantage: Retailers cite AI technical complexity and rapid tech change as top challenges, yet only 58% use AI for privacy management. Closing this gap through automation and stronger governance is key to scaling trust and personalization responsibly.

“The most pressing challenge is no longer simply complying with privacy regulations, but engineering and managing AI systems whose technical intricacies stretch beyond existing oversight models.”