A sign outside a Nordstrom store in Portland informs shoppers they are being tracked through their cellular phones.
A Nordstrom Rack store in downtown Portland has initiated a pilot program that tracks customers’ cell phones while they shop. It is one of 20 stores nationwide currently testing the system.
Connecting to the wifi signal from your phone, Euclid devices around the store help the company measure foot traffic inside their retail space.
“Through that data, we’re able to get a better sense of where people actually are in our stores, we can measure store foot traffic,” Nordstrom spokesperson Tara Darrow said. “Our ultimate goal is to make customers experiences in our store better.”
Darrow states that the Euclid system doesn’t collect personal information from your smartphone, and shoppers can prevent being tracked by either disabling wi-fi or powering off their devices completely.
While the Nordstrom stores have placed small, gray-colored signs in the windows notifying customers of the system, many have criticized the signs for being too vague, too hard to read, and easily missed. Having read the sign, many say it isn’t clear as to what the store is actually doing.
Due to customer backlash and increased news coverage, Darrow said the company will make changes to the signs so they are easier to see and more clearly understood.
“We are working now to have them reprinted in a way that’s more easily read and visible to customers when they enter our stores,” Darrow said by phone.
“If it’s making their customers uncomfortable, it’s nice to see that they’re doing something reactionary to make sure that they’re keeping their customer base,” one customer said.
Do you think the store is doing enough to alert its customers about the tracking program? Would you feel uncomfortable shopping at a store that tracks you by your smartphone?
Screenshot from koinlocal6
