Shopping Malls Are Tracking Your Every Move by: Esther Fung Mar 15, 2017

TOPICS: Marketing, Technology

SUMMARY: Malls face competition from changing shopping habits which include more online purchases. Technology can help stores and malls collect data on shoppers that they can use to personalize ads or promotions. Landlords might collect data to measure where shoppers go and for how long. This data can help malls figure out which stores should be in proximity to each other. Monitoring smartphones can help identify big spenders. Shoppers have to agree to terms to use a shopping center's Wi-Fi or app. Some malls are trying to appeal to customers with games. Companies are continuing to try and harness the data they collect.

CLASSROOM APPLICATION: Shopping malls are using data collected from smartphones to try and stay relevant as more shoppers make purchases online. The data can provide location information and insight into spending, help determine the best locations for stores and support tailored advertising and promotion. This illustrates how technology can help traditional brick and mortar stores compete with online shopping.

QUESTIONS: 1. List the types of data that stores or mall landlords collect. 2. Does it bother you that malls are collecting this data from shoppers? Explain 3. Give one privacy concern you have associated with the data mall landlords and stores collect on shoppers? End