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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmazon Knows What You Buy. And It's Building a Big Ad Business From It.
The New York Times / January 20, 2019
SEATTLE When a chain of physical therapy centers wanted new patients, it aimed online ads at people near its offices who had bought knee braces recently on Amazon.
When a financial services provider wanted to promote its retirement advisory business, it directed ads to people in their 40s and 50s who had recently ordered a personal finance book from Amazon.
And when a major credit card company wanted new customers, it targeted people who used cards from other banks on the retail site.
The advertisers found those people by using Amazons advertising services, which leverage what the company knows better than anyone: consumers online buying habits.
STORY: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/technology/amazon-ads-advertising.html
They know what you buy. When you buy it. Where you live. The credit card you use. They know the other websites you visit. They know how you shop.
According to the link, Amazons advertising business is worth about $125 billion, more than Nike or IBM.
Buyer beware.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)stonecutter357
(12,699 posts)Auggie
(31,240 posts)From the link: Last year, Amazon released a tool similar to those used by some other ad networks. That tool embeds a piece of computer code known as a pixel in ads shown on other sites, and tracks how that particular ad placement leads to customers viewing a product on Amazon or buying it outright.
They know how you browse, and they use that information to target you.
stonecutter357
(12,699 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)When you buy it (like, the actual date of purchase). Where you live (so they can send it to you). The credit card you use (so they know which one to charge).
It's all so weird.
(ETA: Oh, "they" refers to advertisers, not Amazon. I was going off the headline)
Auggie
(31,240 posts)I know it sounds ludicrous at face value. But this information can be sold or shared too. It can be hacked. Like the 10 year challenge on Facebook, you don't know how it's going to be used or what new technology it will spawn to separate you from your money.
Demit
(11,238 posts)"Share this if you care about (cancer patients/cops/the military)" posts or the "Let's show this 92 year old grandma how many likes she can get" posts that float around. I don't respond to online petitions anymore. They're all data mining ploys.
Buying online is a risk, I suppose. Doing anything online is. But you weigh that against the convenience of it. And you stay eternally vigilant, like checking your credit card statements every month, for example. You've got to pay attention. Like your mom taught you: always count your change.
HAB911
(8,957 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,485 posts)Facebook shares your data, charities do, heck even the Democratic party does. I've received a shit load of e-mails from out of state candidates I've never heard of asking for campaign donations.
Not saying it's right it's just what it is.
brooklynite
(95,012 posts)I shop at Amazon for convenience and pricing. As long as advertising isn't intrusive or inappropriate for my needs, I don't mind.
MineralMan
(146,351 posts)Google knows what you search for on the Internet. A big part of Google's business is pay per click advertising. Google sells ads to businesses, based on its knowledge of your searches.
All sorts of businesses have been selling lists of their customers to other companies for many decades. Non-profits do the same thing. For example, the NRA makes part of its money by selling lists of its members to companies who use those lists to market all sorts of things.
Selling lists of consumers that target specific interests is a big business in this country. Amazon does it, too. So does your supermarket, the company that manufactured the car you drive, and just about everyone else you do business with.
The only way to avoid such things is to stop buying stuff and leaving a trail behind you of what stuff you buy. Good luck with that.