Tracking Technology and shopping. As a marketer, the goal is to help get the right product in the shopper’s hand at the right time. If technology can help do that more efficiently and effectively, that would be a huge win, right? As a consumer, I’m not so sure I want marketers or retailers knowing so much about me, right? So is it “Big Brother” or just smart people using the technology to make life easier? Again, the answer depends on what hat I am wearing at the time, but there is no doubt that technology is creeping into our lives and in ways that many are not comfortable.
Alexander Beset at LinkedIn News recently wrote, “A growing number of stores are using (or considering using) facial recognition technology to track shoppers, sparking renewed debate about privacy. While the technology is primarily used for theft, it is being rolled out to track shopping habits, monitor employee productivity or send targeted ads to certain shoppers. Advocacy organizations are pushing back against their use on privacy grounds, while Portland, Ore., has outright banned the use of facial recognition by government, retail, hotels and restaurants.” We have all been online, looked at something and then almost instantly gotten a pop-up ad about that kind of product. From a personal perspective that sometimes that feels wrong, but as a marketer, it’s great that I can target potential customers that well.
Again, you may feel it is ok on a certain level, but what if it goes beyond simply trying to sell you a product? Interestingly, the same day I read the article about facial recognition, there was a report in The Guardian about spy software being used to target individuals for more sinister reasons. Human rights activists, journalists and lawyers across the world have been targeted by authoritarian governments using hacking software sold by the Israeli surveillance company NSO Group, according to an investigation into a massive data leak.
The investigation by the Guardian and 16 other media organizations suggests widespread and continuing abuse of NSO’s hacking spyware, Pegasus, which the company insists is only intended for use against criminals and terrorists. Pegasus is a malware that infects iPhones and Android devices to enable operators of the tool to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones.
The point is that there is technology that can do amazing things. In the hands of some, it can be used to make life more simple, easier to navigate, easier to manage…you fill in the blank. As with most things, however, technology is not bad or dangerous in and of itself, it is often the people using the technology. Don’t let this stop you from getting out and enjoying the shopping experience, but just realize that you may be tracked while doing it. Alexa, turn off the lights.
About AKCEL Partners: AKCEL Partners is a sales consultancy founded by three executives with strong bonds throughout the textile, apparel, brand and retail industries. AKCEL Partners offers strategic sales planning combined with experienced, highly networked sales professionals who give clients immediate access to targeted decision-makers. We are dedicated to meeting or exceeding our clients’ short- and long-term revenue goals. To learn more, go to www.AKCELPartners.com.
