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Anonymous ID: f3e90c April 9, 2018, 11:49 a.m. No.969394   🗄️.is đź”—kun

>>969370

8 Ways Retailers Are Tracking Your Every Move

By Paul Michael/Wise Bread

September 23, 2016

  1. Store Loyalty Cards

Grocery stores in particular — can track your spending habits..

  1. Your Phone Number

Loyalty programs like to tie your phone number and email address to the card. Once you give up that phone number, you are handing over all of your purchasing information to the retailer.

  1. Your Smartphone

This is not about the phone number, but the technology used in your smartphone. Through a technique known as geofencing, which uses Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, retailers are automatically alerted to your presence as you approach, enter, and browse the store. And once again, Target is one of those retailers that is on the cutting edge of this technology.

If you have an app like Cartwheel installed on your phone, you may notice that offers pop up as you enter the Target store (or, after a few minutes of browsing). Now they know not only what you’re buying, but how effective their instant offers are; and they can tailor them to be even more successful in the future.

  1. Free Wi-Fi

They say nothing is really free, and in this case, it applies to Wi-Fi. We all love free Wi-Fi because it prevents us from eating into our own data plans, and it’s usually a lot faster than 4G. But there is a price to pay for it, and that price is information. It may seem very Orwellian, but these days, stores can use their Wi-Fi service and your phone to track your shopping habits in real-time while in the store. They know which aisles you’re visiting first, which offers keep you occupied the longest, and can even trace the path you take from the entrance to the checkout.

  1. Website Cookies

It is used to help keep track of your movements within the site.

  1. Purchasing Data

Quite often, you will see language like, “We do not sell or share your information with third parties” on websites, forms, and other methods of collecting your personal information. That’s because it has become common practice for many retailers to store, collate, and sell the information of millions of customers for a profit. In the age of online retailing and phone shopping, big data is huge. The more retailers can know about you, the more targeted their campaigns can be. If a company wants to specifically focus on white males, ages 31–40, who smoke, drink, and subscribe to a sports package, they can buy that list. It can be expensive, initially, for retailers to buy this data, but it can really pay off because their message is laser-focused on the audience they want to reach.

All of these methods mentioned above — including phone numbers, loyalty information, and website patterns — can be collected and sold. When they are in control of it, they can build on the data, creating a picture of you as a consumer that is so detailed, you may be shocked by its accuracy, and invasion of privacy.

  1. CCTV Equipment

Smile, you’re on camera. We are in the age of eyes in the sky, and big brother on every street corner. Cameras are also a major part of every store’s infrastructure, and if you think they are only there to monitor shoplifters, think again.

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  1. Social Media

You probably have at least a Facebook account, and possibly Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, and FourSquare. While these are all great ways to share information and keep in touch with friends, they are also a boon for retailers, who also have a massive presence on these platforms. Brands and retailers can push offers and information at you 24/7, and sophisticated software can help them interact with you. They know if you “like” certain products or advertisements. They provide links to let you instantly purchase products and services that have been sent to you. They give out rewards for sharing offers and coupons. And the more you do it, the more they learn about you and your habits.

Some people have started multiple social media accounts — one for personal use, and one that does not share as much private information — for this very reason. You are being watched constantly on social media, and you are being targeted with specific offers based on data that has been collected.

 

http:// time.com/money/4506297/how-retailers-track-you/