Think the nation’s biggest retailers don’t know precisely what you like to purchase and exactly how much you typically spend on a shopping trip? Think again. As outlined by a recent story in the Wall Street Journal — one that is both intriguing or horrifying, depending on your perspective — retailers are depending on technology to keep track of your shopping exploits.
High-tech snooping?
Retailers today are relying more than ever on small gadgets, often hidden in the most busy areas of a shop or mall, that track shoppers’ cellphones. Other devices monitor the activities of consumers as they shop, providing valuable information to retailers about where shoppers are spending the majority of their time and the length of time they’re standing in line.
A common trend
According to the Wall Street Journal story, this shopping technology is becoming more popular. The story points to The Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank that says that about 1,000 retailers have outfitted their stores with sensors that track the movements of shoppers. These retailers believe that the tech will give them important info about their consumers’ shopping habits, as a way to gain an advantage against their competitors.
Privacy issues
This tracking might help retailers. But shoppers aren’t always at ease with it. The Journal story cited complaints made on social-media sites from Nordstrom shoppers who weren’t happy that they are being spied on. A Nordstrom spokesperson said that the experiment was only a test. The makers of tracking tech suggest that retailers post information telling consumers that they are being tracked.