Buying Behavior Decision Making

Case 4

Ryan Leadley

1. The companies that are using Foursquare I believe are going to have more success than those that do not. These companies are gaining personal information and tailoring ads and deals towards these consumers. One of the principles that this company is using is operant conditioning. They are for sure controlling consumers’ behavior with consequences. The consequences that are being used are positive, mostly with the rewards systems. This is giving the consumers positive reinforcement for shopping at those companies that work with Foursquare.

1. Personally, I think it is absolutely an invasion of consumers’ privacy. If trackers, and signals are being sent from our personal devices without our knowledge it should absolutely be limited and held back by law. I believe that there should be some sort of license agreement for the consumer to agree to signal tracking on personal devices. I also think it should be illegal for companies that implement these practices to be able to take this information and sell our personal info to companies with the highest bidding price. That being said many ads on websites and adds received in the mail can be tailored to individuals which can improve shopping experiences.

1. I believe that as long as there are terms of service and there is an agreement on the consumers’ part, then it should be fair game. But I also believe that it should be made extremely clear to the consumer that their location and shopping habits will be broadcasted and information will be sent out to the companies that you are viewing. I think that reward points are an extremely cleaver way to get customers to keep coming back to the establishment. I also think that consumers are being manipulated because many of them are unaware of what they are exactly signing up for. I think that if there is going to be tracking and broadcasting it should be made clear.