With so many scaremongering
stories on the news about identity theft and fraud online, and an increasing
number of us storing all our personal information on social media sites
and other apps, online privacy is always making the headlines.
From changing social media privacy agreements to companies selling your
information without your knowledge, the online world is a minefield
for anyone concerned about keeping their private information just that,
private.
Online Privacy and Market Research
When it comes to carrying out market research, there
are some basic rules you need to follow. You can use social media
to interact with your customers and followers, sparking up a conversation
or taking part in an existing discussion, but you shouldn’t invade
anyone’s privacy. This means that you shouldn’t really contact
people without their permission on websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
If they’re an existing customer who has already signed up for your
newsletter, then you’ll have their personal email address so can ask
them if they would be interested in filling out an online survey, or
target them as part of a marketing campaign. But on social media
sites, you should respect online privacy – it’s a far better move
to tweet or post a Facebook status update saying that you’re looking
for participants for a customer survey as part of a market research
project, than it is to approach people directly via a private message.
Remember too, that any information people provide you with as part of
your survey is your responsibility, so make sure you comply with data
protection and shred paperwork or dispose of digital files securely
when your research project is finished! Alternatively you can
use specialist companies like Decision Fuel to gather statistics
by using online surveys sent to an already established database.
A Real Threat
Online privacy will only become more of a concern
as time goes on, and consumers have plenty to worry about, although
most of the advances in technology will bring with them more benefits
than problems for the average person. Modern advances such as
scannable chips on products on your supermarket shelves are already
being rolled out across parts of America, so you no longer have to waste
time queuing at the checkout to pay for your shopping – the store
knows exactly what you bought and will bill you accordingly!
Loss of Privacy
Many people are concerned about this loss of privacy,
and it’s true that whilst it brings huge benefits to market researchers
and companies, who will learn more than ever before about their customers,
the benefits it provides to the general public may not be something
which everyone will want to take advantage of, and there will always
be those who resist advances in technology, preferring a more traditional
lifestyle.
In short, online privacy is a growing concern, and
you should take steps to protect yourself by taking steps such as never
opening email if you don’t know the sender, only using websites you’re
confident are genuine and other, simple steps that are mostly common
sense. As market researchers, the changes in social media and
the internet, and the popularity of smart phones are all positives steps
as they make finding out more about consumers so much easier!