Preference management
Preference management is the process of collecting, storing, and honoring an individual’s choices about how their personal data is used, including marketing communications, cookies, and consent settings.
What is preference management?
Preference management enables organizations to capture and manage user preferences across channels—such as email, web, and mobile—in compliance with global privacy laws. It allows individuals to customize how they receive communications or how their data is used for personalization.
Through centralized tools like a consent management platform (CMP), organizations can unify consent records, update preference settings in real time, and demonstrate compliance with frameworks like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Effective preference management enhances transparency, user control, and trust while supporting compliant marketing practices.
Why preference management matters
Preference management helps organizations balance personalization and privacy by respecting customer choices about data use. It improves user experience, reduces opt-outs, and strengthens customer relationships by ensuring communication relevance and compliance.
For organizations, it simplifies compliance with regional regulations that require explicit consent and proof of lawful processing. Centralized preference data also enables consistency across systems and departments, ensuring accurate consent and communication governance.
How preference management is used in practice
- Capturing consent and marketing preferences through web forms or preference centers
- Integrating user choices across CRM, marketing automation, and analytics systems
- Providing self-service portals for customers to update communication settings
- Recording and auditing consent transactions to demonstrate regulatory compliance
- Applying consent signals across channels for unified data governance
- Supporting frameworks like the GDPR, CCPA, and ePrivacy Directive
Related laws & standards
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
- ePrivacy Directive (EU Cookie Law)
- Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
- ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy Information Management)
How OneTrust helps with preference management
OneTrust enables organizations to operationalize preference management by centralizing consent and preference data across systems. The platform supports customizable preference centers, dynamic consent capture, and integration with marketing tools to ensure compliant, personalized communication.
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FAQs about preference management
Consent management focuses on obtaining lawful consent, while preference management allows individuals to specify how and when they want to be contacted or have their data used.
Preference management improves customer trust, ensures consistent communication preferences across systems, and reduces privacy risks associated with data misuse.
