What do you suppose rewards cards are for? They present as being like frequent flier points where you get a small bonus for being a loyal customer. However, the main reason is to tag all your purchases as coming from one source so that buying patterns can be discerned. They hope you will register and supply some biographical details so they can match your purchase pattern to age, locality etc. They would dearly love to get hold of your income, occupation, family structure and more but realise that many would not supply that and there would be a privacy stink.
All this is admitted buy Woolies (at least, I havenāt looked at others) but is couched as being to the benefit of customers by helping provide better service. They say that analytics will be anonymised.
I think that the anonymisation could be in place but the system could still target you as if it was not, like this made up example:
Anonymised data generates target groups, say YFIGLS ,young family in growing lower socioeconomic area or ENIR, empty nester in retirement area. This is based on analysis of age, location and key purchases. You are in a new postcode, are 28YO and buy nappies and baby food so you are a YFIGLS.
Pattern matching shows what other products your target group buys.
You are matched to a target group and are offered the products identified (plastic toys).
One doesnāt need a rewards card, consumer profiling can be done if one uses a credit/debit cardā¦the data is attached to the credit/debit card holder rather than a rewards card. While a shop may not have the same level of detail as a rewards card initially (such as that they ask when joining the rewards program), over time the same information can be gathered if one say shops online using the same credit cardā¦there goes the information to the retailer to join the dots together). There are other methods such as getting delivery addresses, names for waranty purposes, postcodes etc at the point of sale as well. Retailers can also link one of their businesses with anotherā¦say getting alcohol delivered by a business that also sells groceries or big appliances.
The only real way to try and avoid this is to not be online, never give any personal information not matter how insignificant to a retailer and also to only pay with cash.
Companies like Apple, Google and Facebook are very good at profiling and data collection on individuals and the retail sector is fast using similar methods of these gig economy companies. Data is valuable asset to any business.
I did not think it was legal for merchants to retain credit card details without explicit consent. Is that wrong? It certainly isnāt acceptable to me.
Referring to Brendanās original question about supermarkets being designed towards the best outcomes, after considering an article on designing them with health and nutrition in mind, clearly the answer is no if consumers needs are considered (rather than their impulsive wants). Most of the food would be removed from the shelves if it had to meet Michael Pollenās sensible health guideline of ādonāt eat anything your great grandmother wouldnāt recognize as foodā.
They donāt retain all the credit card details, they take a sample of the card number and issuer (see any tax invoice from a major retailer to see what data is collected). This is about the data on Wiki.
The UK Guardian did a story a while ago, and also have heard that most Australian retailers use similar methodsā¦
We have had first hand experience of this when returning an item to Bunnings for an exchange. My other half bought it and I didnāt have a receipt at the time (it was in the other halfās wallet at her work)ā¦I needed a exchange to complete a home project before everyone got home and couldnāt wait to exchange it the next day. Bunnings used my card details (as payment was from the same account) to pull up a copy of the transaction to confirm it had been purchased from a Bunnings store and thus approved the exchange.
I suspect that the data collection consent is buried in the many pages of T&Cs which comes with card use, when an application for a card is made.
EDIT: Also just realised that also had it at JB Hi-fi for a warranty claim. The original receipt had faded to a point where it was illegible and they were able to track down a copy of the receipt using our card and the date we purchased from the store (from the bank statement). I suspect that retailer will argue that it is in the interests of the consumer for such information to be collected and retained by the retailer, for examples like those outlined above. It is also in the interests of the retailer to also collect and use the consumer data.
The days of being completely anonymous and flying under the radar are becoming harder and harder. There are also reports like this in relation to online shopping data collectionā¦
This also confirms the existing data matching practices of retailers like Bunnings (and its future data mining plans)ā¦
Bunnings is owned by Westfarmers, which also owns a range of other retail business. Data matching over a range of portfolio business is where collection of data through card use starts to become more valuable and powerful to a business.
With my store the bakery and fruit and veg are at the entrance. You need to walk through fruit and veg and bakery to get to meat, milk and deli at the back. perishables and frozen are the first 2 aisles. Coincidently the fruit and veg/meat sections are closest to the loading dock. It also seems pretty common for stores with inhouse bakeries to have them positioned next to the entrance.
Eftpos is owned by 19 different companies, including the 2 big supermarkets, the 4 big banks, a couple of international banks, regional banks and a few other companies. https://www.eftposaustralia.com.au/about/
One gripe I have with supermarkets is they donāt put like products together. Logic tells me to put paper goods with paper goods. toilet paper is separate from tissues and paper towels. Drinks should be together but we find soft drink in one section, cordial in another, juice somewhere else. It doesnāt make me buy more I just hate walking all the isles to find what I am looking for. So maybe a smart supermarket could win more customers by ensuring that like products be together. A happy customer wants to find what they are looking for easily and quickly so they can be in and out without the exasperation.
That is an impossible dream as there are so many views on the meaning of ālikeā. There is no logic, there may be your logic, or my logic, or other logics but not the logic.
Of, course the problem is we canāt have a specific layout designed for each of us.
Do canned peaches go with desserts, fruit or canned goods or breakfast cereal? Does icecream go with other frozen stuff, dessert or dairy? Is that the same place as fruit yogurt, it can be dessert or dairy or breakfast or snacks or health food or ā¦
What about canned tomatoes, they go with canned food and pasta but so does garlic but thatās fresh produce. Maybe canned tomatoes should be with canned peaches but now we are going round in circles.
Have you noticed sometimes exactly the same line is in more than one place to meet this divided expectation?
How about cheese, it can be in one group (the name brands, unpackaged and imports) in the deli and another (economy styles, sliced and grated) in the cold cabinet at the other end of the building. Is dividing on purpose or price better or should all cheese be together?
āTā is for tyres,
Although they could be with āRā for rubber or āMā for Michelin, but as a spare under āAā for Automotive, except for some that is āCā for Car?
A long time work mate suggested all of these were wrong and decided that as the tyres were for the Honda, it should be filed under āHā!
Good or bad, since dried or smoked fish is a breakfast food, I expect from now on the kippers will be next to the corn flakes?
P.S.
Bunnings seems consistent, although the mini stores are a shambles, and the big stores are often a mirror image. Just to keep you on your consumer toes!
āare supermarket designs working towards the best outcomes?ā
For the proprietors, yes. For the customers, absolutely not.
"so it begs the question, " NO it does not!
Begging the question means to assume the answer without even asking the question.
It does NOT mean to āinvite the questionā. Please understand the phrase before using it.
Sounds to me that you have or do work in a supermarket? And yes I know we canāt please everyone. It must be a huge problem for supermarkets trying to accommodate the huge range of products. Maybe it would be handy if there was some-one at the service desk or even a computer customers could access to locate the product they are looking for? Another confusing thing is the same chain of stores layouts are different- sometimes reversed or worse. I suppose we can be thankful that we have all these items to choose from; unlike in some countries:-)
Our Local IGA has nothing, although you can ask the staff at the checkout even from the back of the aisle without shouting for guidance.
Woolies which is the next nearest option has the overhead boards at each end. Typical of all Woolies, with only the items at that end listed. I need to change the optical image rendering device to read the board at the far end to know what else is in the same aisle.
There are occasionally store printed guides available that can help. Join the que at the cigs counter to get one, or keep an eye open. Typically they are only 90% reliable, as shelf space is reassigned for Christmas, Easter, and any other promotions.
How the cold and frozen stuff is arranged always seems to be the most variable. Further it always requires a doubling back to complete the shop, if not a ātriple treatā?
P.S.
I go for the non perishable and heavy stuff first, before seeking the more easily crushed food items, and finally the cold then frozen. Which should answer the challenge question neatly. Laundry powder and tinned beans next to the store entry point please! The supermarket design has nothing to do with what is best for the customer, unless your Fitbit count needs a boost.
I donāt need to be enticed into a supermarket by the brightly coloured F&V or subliminal bakery odours. Iām there because I have a list and a need!
No I have no connection to the industry at all. You go on to bring up other issues about customer service rather than the one I addressed. If you thought I was misrepresenting the situation you should show the flaws in what I actually said not change the subject.
If you know that we canāt please everybody why do you accuse me of bad faith for saying just that? I think an apology is in order.
The indexes need to be up to date. Our local Coles has moved things around so you cant find them anymore. I dont know anyone who would instinctively know to look for tissues where the toothpaste used to be, or the eggs in between plasticware and some other random section. I just wish they would leave things alone, but its all about shaking up your confidence and making you look at things you wouldnt normally buy. It doesnt work with me, I buy less than I normally would and after I have missed a few things, will go to Aldi instead, because the carpark is easier and the shop is smaller. Iāve begun shopping at Aldi more, lately.
Rewards Cards: dumped the Woolworths one after they dumped the 10% discount for prepaid users. Flybuys remains active because I have Coles Insurances (a weak moment but they are backed by IAG so it seems OKā¦ a good option for a pensioner.) I tend not to swipe my flybuys card in store anymore and I can tell you its a relief not to get the marketing emails a couple of hours later, exhorting me to buy the items I already bought a couple of hours earlier. Now if I get them, they dont know what to try to sell me. But they are infrequent. Thanks goodness.
I am sorry if you were offended by my comments. They were not in any way directed to you. I am aghast that you could glean that from what I said.
My saying it sounds like you were in the industry was simply because you seem very knowledgeable. My comment about customer service was due to another commenting about the lack of customer service people being available.
If you read what I said again without taking what I said not being about you, you may see it in another light. Is this how you always respond taking offence whenever someone says something?
I dislike supermarket shopping so much , my partner does it most of the time. As far as I am concerned, store design is such to make you get lost and buy extra items on impulse. I donāt find the over the aisle signs adequate either.
The only way is to use 1 supermarket over and over so you can find what you want easily. Even then, products get shifted around sometimes. For example some supermarkets put Hokkien noddles in the refrigerator area and others in Asian food aisle.
Aldi I find suits me best as I find the experience less stressful and less choice suits me too. Most people like well known brnds and more choices. I think I am probably in the minority here.
