Who is Following You When You Shop?

By now, we all know that when we shop over the Internet, we’re being tracked.  But, did you know that when you shop in the stores, you’re also being tracked?  Each time we enter a store, whether it’s a department store or a grocery store, we see security cameras positioned in just about every aisle.  These cameras, however, are not doing the tracking.  Customers are being tracked through their cell phones. 

According to the New York Times, last fall, Nordstrom began using Wi-Fi signals from customers’ cell phones to track their movements (Attention Shoppers:  Stores are Tracking Your Cell).  A sign was posted advising customers of the tracking and many shoppers were not happy about it.  Tara Darrow, a Nordstrom spokesperson said, “We did hear some complaints” and because of this, the tracking was stopped in May 2013.  Other stores testing this type of tracking include Family Dollar, Cabela’s and Mothercare. 

 

This tracking can tell a lot about a customer.  The cell phone signals used with the security cameras will tell the retailer exactly who is shopping.  They know how long each shopper spends in any aisle, how long they look at something before they actually purchase it and even the gender of the shopper.  Somehow, many shoppers find this tracking much more invasive than being tracked on-line with cookies.  They consider this more of an invasion of privacy because with on-line tracking, you are still fairly anonymous in the sense that cookies can’t see you.

Adam Levin, founder of Credit.com says of this tracking, “They are just incorporating what exists in the on-line world into the brick-and-mortar world.  My thing is, you don’t have cameras in the on-line world.”    Mr. Levin went on to say that “The in-store tracking may even be more concerning because it’s able to analyze physical behavioral data from customers.”  He also believes that this is only the beginning.  He feels that stores will soon use facial recognition to offer specials made for each individual.  While some people would love it if they were offered great deals on items, others are not willing to give up their privacy to save a few dollars.

If you don’t see a problem with stores using your cell phone to track you, think of it this way:  your cell phone sends out unique codes when it searches for a network.  With this information, a store will not only know where you are going in that store, but it will also know if you are a repeat customer or in the store for the first time.  By using this technology, the store can also send coupons to your phone based on the aisles you are shopping in.  It’s like having someone follow you around, only the “someone” is invisible.

True, this does have advantages like offering you discounts on items you are thinking of purchasing, but do you really want your privacy invaded like this?  What other things can they find out about you and how can they use all of your information?  If this tracking creeps you out, the only way to stop it is to make sure your cell phone is turned off each time you either walk by or enter a store.  There are so many risks to our privacy, do we really need stores gathering our information from our cell phones?

There are things you can do to protect your privacy.  Please take a few minutes and download the free Privacy Guide located at the top of this page.  In it, you will discover many suggestions on what you can do to keep your privacy safe.