Passions: The devil is in the details

Should you have to divulge your personal information every time you shop? Does it help you get information about products you need?

“The age of info & tech will be locked to people with trust issues”

By Joshua Manuk

Joshua says he appreciates ads that cater to his preferences and more often than not serve as reminders to order things he wants but has forgotten

The prerequisites of modern-day internet access are permissions and giving away your personal information and oftentimes, the deterrence of giving-too-much-away thereof.

Essentially, your personal information contributes to the big data analytics that are responsible for personalised ads relevant to your search results.

I have never really had a problem with this. If anything, I believe that it has made my life that much easier. The age of information and technology will forever be locked to those with trust issues which is unfortunate since the web isn’t plain vanilla any longer.

Most social media platforms offer an infinite scroll approach, curated offers, discounts and deals galore, together with an uninhibited need to display personalised ads curated to the relevance of your search results. It’s a tubular feature, owing to progress and utopian forward thinking!

I appreciate ads that cater to my preferences and more often than not serve as timely reminders to order things I’d been dying to get my hands on but forgotten. And who doesn’t like receiving personalised birthday emails, gift cards, coupon codes, vouchers, and promotional emails to stay up to date with what’s new, what’s trending and what’s on sale? Who am I to oppose progress?

“Don’t reduce your consumer to just a monthly target”

By Piya Kapur

Piya questions, “Don’t brands need to consider if a consumer needs the clutter and encroachment on their personal space (without proper consent)?”

Walking right into the arms of a stalking, possessive, over-communicative lover I won’t be able to sneak away from… that’s the dreadful feeling I get when I step up to the billing counter of any retail chain these days.

What starts with asking for my card spirals to requests for name, number, email and in no time pivots to birthdays and anniversary dates. On one occasion, I asked the rep to tell me exactly what they needed all my information for. They could only respond with, ‘Ma’am, the head office needs it. It’s a target. Please fill.’

This was the most inappropriate response ever. A reputable brand expecting a consumer to share their personal details without training their ground staff on the purpose and taking consumer consent is blasphemy. While I understand that the need to engage with consumers to ultimately deliver sales targets is high, don’t they need to consider whether a consumer really needs all that clutter and encroachment on their personal space (without proper consent) and what it ultimately does to the relationship the brand wants with their consumer?

Brands often want to create a more human connection. But reducing your consumer to no more than a ‘monthly target’ tells a completely contradictory tale.

Piya Kapur, 38, is a marketer, pet lover, reader and guinea pig mum.

From HT Brunch, May 21, 2022

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