How often do you find yourself being faced with a pop-up notification asking if an app can “use your current location”? At least every time I download a new app, I receive this notification and am stuck thinking twice about whether or not I will press yes.
But what could all these apps possibly want with my location?
Most apps claim that they will ask you to enable location sharing in order to provide you with the best experience possible while using their app. When clicking yes, consumers are caught thinking that it will help them to use the app to its full potential and that they will be serviced better, however often they are unaware that these apps are tracking their every movement.
“Geolocation uses mobile devices built-in GPS to accurately show where the device, and the user of the device, are located. This data is accessed through apps that the user grants permission to use their location data.” - Alan Meyer
Most apps that ask for and use your geolocation, use it to track your weekly patterns, alert you as to when you are close to a particular store, or send you advertisements and promotions from stores within a close proximity.
A study conducted by Lawless Research found that companies using location data in advertising campaigns increased sales by 80%, grew their customer base by 86%, and increased customer engagement by 84%.
Mobile phones are already devices used for convenience, thus by showing a potential customer that what they need and want is within a close distance, gets marketers closer to achieving their goal without feeling intrusive.
In the past, I have often been guilty of purchasing food or products after receiving a notification about a sale or promotion from a store that I am close to in location. This is the exact purpose of location sharing and mobile marketing and an example of the ease and success of it. It is an extremely effective marketing tool that we often don’t even notice.
Have you found yourself in a similar situation to me? And does this information make your want to turn on or off your location sharing?
Feel free to leave any comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Great blog, i personally only allow location to be turned on when im using an app. Id never have it on whilst in the background or if im not using my phone!
Such an interesting read and makes me think about my choices as a consumer. Crazy how happy we are to allow our location to be seen without much thought.
WOW! What an insightful and great read. Yes i have found my self in the same situation as you. Very clever for businesses to do this as most consumers would get frustrated and just click yes. It is usually an impulse decision. Can't wait for next weeks blog.
Great Insight! I had not previously considered that the 'better experience' from location sharing is purely a play on words to exploit data with cookies. I haven't actually noticed advertising from 'nearby' stores, but I'm sure that it's there, so i'll definitely keep an eye out on my browser ads from now on! Look forward to your next post.
-Jesse