Who has your data? Round 3…

Retailers also learned about the benefits of knowing where people are based on the location of their cell phones. They developed a technique called location-based marketing, which allows them to determine how to interact with a potential customer based on the customer's location. One type of this marketing technique is called check-in services, in which a customer shares their location in exchange for special deals on merchandise and services. The retailer builds a location and purchase profile of the customer and fine-tunes future offers based on that profile (http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/shopper-engagement/1355-forrester-research-highlights-impact-of-location-based-marketing-).

Now, you may be thinking that this sounds like a pretty sweet deal. You can have bargains find you rather than you having to find them. In one sense, that is true. In another sense, what have you paid for that bargain with besides money? You have paid with your personal information...