When should stores use your previous buying habits in marketing? What's too much?
Asked by
funkdaddy (
17777
)
January 12th, 2011
More and more retailers are using the information they have to tailor your experience with them.
Some examples would be:
* suggesting items based on your previous purchases (Amazon and iTunes do this fairly prevalently)
* suggesting items based on your browsing history or wish list (if you’ve been looking at waffles, Amazon shows you tons of other waffles)
* emailing you asking to review items you’ve purchased (Netflix sends you a request when you return a movie for example)
* contacting you when an item is about to run out (“We noticed you bought <these items> 30 days ago, need some more?”)
* contacting you with specials related to your previous purchases ($10 off oil change, haircut, teeth cleaning, whatever)
Retailers use the information generally because a specific offer will get a much better response than a general one.
When do these efforts cross over from a helpful service to something that freaks you out a little bit? Does it depend on the type of products? The retailer? How the offer is presented? (email vs. on a website vs. a postcard for instance)
When is it no longer a positive thing?
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6 Answers
Sometimes it’s useful, and sometimes I just feel like the companies I buy from are stalking me…
I have found that pages I have browsed e.g. watches on amazon will then come up on adverts on the pages in my email account, which I have found to be a bit annoying – If I’ve come away from those pages, I don’t want to be continually reminded and almost pushed to look at the same items again!
Having suggestions of films on say a DVD rental site based on what Ive got previously can be useful though, as I am rubbish at knowing what films are out there or what I might like to watch.
It can be positive when there are offers on something I am likely to buy for myself, e.g. books, or restaurant vouchers, but when I feel pushed to buy items Im not interested in (e.g offers that spring up because Ive bought a gift for someone else at some point) then I find it can be annoying.
The grocery store seems to, with coupons printed on the check-out receipt based on what I buy.
I hate this sort of thing, there are so many organizations collecting information about us all the time. I don’t purchase online, use credit cards at all, or have any rewards card type of memberships. I like to use cash at all times.
Apart from internet advertising based on searches, I manage to avoid most it. But of course i have to constantly say NO! when Im asked by the clerk if i have a ‘so and so rewards card’ which is annoying.
I hate it. It is acceptable to me only if they have asked first and I have said yes (which I would, for certain stores – such as my favourite bookstore).
I am fine with the grocery store sending me coupons that make sense with my past purchases. I do not like the idea of my internet activity being tracked. I don’t mind that certain ads pop up on facebook because of groups I belong to on facebook, but I don’t want my information shared with the company. I don’t want to be reminded I am running out of something.
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