Your IP address and shopping

Posted under Technology by Sherri R

Shoppers are being targeted more and more these days based on the geographic location and type of internet connection they are using. So if you are a male from the north using a high speed internet connection, you may receive a 10% discount offer when visiting Amazon.com, versus a shopper from the north receiving a $5 off coupon when it is detected they are using regular dial up. Advertisers are tailoring their home pages based on how the user got to their site. So if you search for discount DVDs and get to Amazon you may get a free shipping offer, versus finding DVD™s on Amazon by using the term HD DVD.

This type of targeting has been around for a while, but has been gaining more use as retailers are trying to tailor their offerings to the customers that are visiting their sites. You may find different discounts that are available depending on the time of day, and how you reached the site. For instance, going to the jewelry site ice.com, users who entered the URL directly into their browser may not be awarded any special discount, whereas those that came from a search engine may receive a free shipping offer. This is in part due to the fact these companies are trying to get customers to the site, and if assumed you are already a customer you may not be enticed with free shipping since you have already found the site. Brought to you by Top Directories where you can see and be seen.