Out of a reflex of distrust, I refuse to participate in any kind of loyalty program of the outlet of the large retail store around the corner.
I tell myself that by refusing to join the loyalty program (which basically comes down to scanning an anonymous loyalty card every time I make a purchase), I prevent them from adding my correlations (what products I buy, in what combos, at what time) to their data.
But since I normally pay by card, I guess they can (and do) already do that with my bank account information?
If I would pay with cash, they can still see those correlations per purchase, but they can’t track my purchases over time?
Yes, and so much more…
Look up Nielsen transaction data. Stores use commercially available checkout systems that work with Nielsen for tracking. This data isn’t just for the store itself, but is sold to all sorts of other businesses.
Your credit card also tracks every purchase you make and sells that data. Experian partners with Nielsen.
Stores also use customer tracking and even facial recognition in places where it’s legal or they can get away with it. Look up RetailNext. They sell not only Bluetooth “beacons” for tracking devices within range, but also ceiling/wall mounted devices with cameras for “Shopper Journey” data. These devices track your movement throughout the store and plot the data onto a store floor map to show what products you look at along with all sorts of other stats. They can even differentiate between employee faces and customers.
Lastly, look up how Kogniz uses facial recognition to surveil and flag unwanted people in stores, and potentially even call the cops on you if it thinks you’re a criminal.
And who knows what other commercial tracking services retailers use. If I didn’t see these services advertised to the marketing folks at my job I probably would’ve even know they existed.