Erick Bernard
Aug 12, 22 | 4 min read
amazon privacy concerns
Reading time: 3 minutes
We know that data is a very important tool to help marketers succeed in their strategies. The richer the information, the closer brands can get to their audiences.
With that in mind, companies are doing everything they can to provide a more personalized experience, which ultimately focuses on customer satisfaction and acquisition/revenue .
Another trend that impacts not only the lives of marketing specialists, but is reflected in everyone else, is smart devices, which are becoming increasingly closer and more common in our daily lives.
We can now ask devices to turn on the lights, schedule meetings, take care of our pets, play our favorite songs or add something to the shopping list. Soon, we list of sierra leone consumer email will also be able to ask them to perform some household chores for us, and this is closer than you think.
Amazon recently announced the acquisition of iRobot Corp., the maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner. The $1.7 billion deal can be seen not just as “an expensive purchase,” but as a new way to bring cleaning robots into our daily lives.
Follow us on the Rock Content LinkedIn page
As we've already said, the closer brands are to people, the greater the chances of selling new product and service offerings in a personalized way. In the near future, Alexa will know not only what your favorite song is or what time you get up during the week, but also how big your house is and even how messy it is.
There are some Roomba vacuum models that can do more than that by scanning and mapping environments .
By integrating with Amazon systems, the company will be able to gain more data about people's homes and routines. By gaining insight into how someone lives, it's possible to make some inferences and help marketers create new offers according to specific needs or preferences.
But of course, there are some privacy issues that we will have to take into account. User data is gold in an era when we talk about the end of third-party data and when companies are looking to speak directly to their audience, bringing increasingly personalized messages, which can also increase the ROI of a campaign.
On the other hand, the use of customers' personal information is a big issue and companies need to treat it with care and, more importantly, with transparency. The user needs to know every piece of information that is collected and has to have the ability to accept it or not.
This applies to all brands that collect user data , in the virtual or real world.
What will Amazon know about you?
When mapping out an entire home, the larger the home, the wealthier the person may be, so premium products and services may make sense for this client. Depending on the type of floor covering, it may be possible to learn not only how wealthy someone is, but also offer them specific types of cleaning products.
The robot can also understand whether the family has children (finding toys, for example) or pets (finding… well, you know). Again, two great opportunities for marketers.
It will also be possible to know when we are going to sleep or are in a more private moment, by knocking on a closed bedroom or bathroom door. That sounds a little scary.
Customers are concerned about their data
People are concerned about how companies treat their data. 55% said in a survey by The Drum that they do not like to share their personal data, even if the price is a better digital experience.
However, the vacuum cleaner is just another device that is part of our routine, frequently receiving inputs about how we are living our lives and transforming this information into business data. The question is, how secure is it all going to be and what is the limit of smart and connected things in our lives? Do we want companies to know so much about us?
Despite privacy concerns, we have to admit that the acquisition is a great move for Amazon and can bring good results for the business, while making people's lives easier and keeping their homes tidy, simply by saying "Alexa, clean my room."
But the big lesson here is: the world is receiving more and more data, from different sources and devices .
As marketing specialists, we must know how to manage this large amount of information to provide results for our businesses, but always respecting the privacy of our customers.
Customers are already worried. Yes, campaigns can get a short-term boost. But, they can also have long-term problems if you have an image crisis by disrespecting your customers' information and wishes. Be careful. And always be transparent!
Do you want to stay up to date with the best Marketing practices? I suggest you subscribe to The Beat , Rock Content's interactive newsletter. There you will find all the trends that matter in the digital Marketing landscape. See you there!