I don’t feel as passionately about this as I do say about abortion, but why on earth would I hand over all my personal information to any old store who asks? I always ask them why they need this information, and they usually say they don’t.
So I’m glad to see this column called “Why does retail want my details?” It’s a question we should all ask.
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Oh I hate that. Fortunately I save most of my shopping for my visits to Seattle. The first thing any store there asks is “what is your zip/postal code?” so I smile and respond “V9A . . . ” and that stops them right there.
For the past 1000 years stores didn’t need all of our personal information to build a relationship with the customer. They just needed to offer high quality products and services.
It is called database marketing. The info is useful in the agglomeration as it lets them know who their customers are and what they want. The info drives the business, gives them info on trends, and determines their marketing and promotional efforts, and the kind of intentory they should carry. I think that its best application is in business to business marketing. Or for services, like your dentist calling when you need your teeth cleaned. It need not be adversarial, though it does raise privacy concerns.
I prefer those programs that give you something back in return for the information they collect, like the dollars you accumulate on your Canadian Tire credit card. If this means they compete better with Walmart, I’m all for it.