Have you ever looked at a pair of shoes online and then started seeing them on every website you visit?
Don’t worry, it’s not quite stalking. That type of targeted advertising is in fact a subliminal tactic used by online stores to remind you to buy the products you browsed.
But how does that actually work?
How Websites Get to Know You
Every website’s goal is essentially to sell more products or to learn how to be better at selling products.
For online vendors, the great thing about the internet is its ability to track everything and get to know its users.
Lots of Cookies
You’ve probably already visited a website that asked you to accept the use of cookies, and if you’re like most people, you probably clicked “I accept”.
When you visit a website, it often asks if it’s okay to use those cookies. Cookies are essentially tiny files that stay on your computer or phone and keep an eye on what you’re looking at online.
Think of it as a way for websites to keep notes on what you might like to buy: what you’ve searched for, what you’ve clicked on, and what you’ve looked like.
Let’s say you’re looking at shoes or games; cookies are there, keeping track of what grabs your eye.
Then, the online stores use this info to make your web surfing feel like it’s all about you. That’s why those shoes you liked suddenly show up on other sites you visit – it’s just cookies working behind the scenes to try to push you to go back and buy them.
Other Data Collection Methods
However, it’s not only cookies. Besides cookies, your browsing activity is also tracked via these methods:
- IP Address – Your IP address pinpoints your location for geographically targeted ads. This means you’re going to start seeing ads following you around online based on your general vicinity.
- Browsing History – So what if you don’t have an account in the store? They can still track your browsing activity.
- Wish Lists and Carts – Even if you abandon your cart, the items in your wish list and the ones you added in the cart will still be considered to determine your interests.
The items you save or add to your cart tell stores what interests you, even if you don’t complete the purchase.
It’s a good idea to consider that any activity you carry out on websites is likely to be recorded and used to determine certain things about you.
Using Your Data for Good (and Maybe Some Not-So-Good)
So, what do online stores do with all this data? Here’s the good news: the information they collect can actually be used to enhance your shopping experience.
Getting Suggestions Just for You
When you look around online stores, they notice what you like. This means they can show you other things that are right up your alley without you having to search for it.
Finding Things Faster
The store changes its search results just for you, so you see the things you care most about first, which makes shopping quicker and less of a headache.
The things you’re most likely to be interested in will be placed higher up in the search results or on the front page, meaning you won’t need to browse for as long to find the items you’re interested in.
Checking Out Is a Snap
If you’ve shopped on multiple websites, you know that filling out your payment and delivery information multiple times can be a pain.
Stores can remember what you bought before and what you like, so it makes paying easy and fast, which is great when you’re shopping on the internet.
But as with all things, it’s not all great:
- Ads That Follow You Around – It feels weird and annoying when the same ads pop up no matter where you are online like someone is watching you.
- Paying More Without Knowing It – Sometimes stores might bump up prices on things they see you really want. That means you could end up paying more than you expected.
- Worried About Your Private Info – If a store’s systems get hacked, your personal info could get stolen and used against your will, or for nefarious purposes.
So while having certain data collected about you can be helpful, it also holds some significant negatives that could have a worrisome effect on shoppers.
Taking Control: How to Be Data-Savvy
While online stores collect data, it doesn’t mean you have to hand over complete control. Here are some tips to navigate the world of online shopping data collection:
Watch Out for Cookies
Remember those pop-ups we mentioned earlier? They’re tracking what you do online, but the good news is that you get to have a say and manage their use.
You can say yes to them, block them, or even clean them out of your computer now and then.
Go Incognito for Secret Shopping
Shopping in incognito mode is exactly what it sounds like. It keeps your browsing history secret, so online stores don’t remember you or the activities you carried out.
Just remember, it won’t hide what you did before you went incognito.
Hide With a VPN
If you want to be extra safe and anonymous, it’s a great idea to use a VPN browser.
It’s an extension that scrambles up your internet activity, making it hard for the stores to see where you’re browsing or what you’re looking at.
Data Collection: Friend or Not?
Online stores are always changing the way they collect data.
As our society becomes increasingly aware, some new rules are popping up to make sure these stores also think about our privacy.
It’s really your call on how much you want to share, but thanks to tools like VPNs you can keep your shopping trips on the down-low.
This can make it tough for the stores to track where you are and what you’re into.