In recent years the usage of new technologies for the collection, storage and analysis of data has created new forms
of individualized customer communication. In particular, the Internet has brought with it new collection and
individualization opportunities due to its capacity to make possible both the easy and cheap gathering of data and
targeted communication. However, in many cases the quality of data collected on the Internet remains as vague as
the individualization strategies which are based on these data. Using an extensive qualitative study a framework is
developed which depicts the major influencing factors on the communication process between companies and their
customers. With the help of quantitative surveys (Web site analysis, company survey, customer survey), data usage
on the part of the companies as well as the users` attitudes toward data sharing are shown. The results clearly
indicate that this area of research will gain more importance in the near future. On the part of the companies
especially the handling of data is of great interest, while the customer survey highlights which factors influence
people to divulge correct data. The results are interesting for both practitioners and scholars and give an overview
of a complex research area.