Intelligent SME.tech Issue 23 | Page 35

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// EXPERT PROFILE // motion , they obviously need to be aware of the special offers or pricing of one of its main competitors , let ’ s call them Company B .

In the old days , Company A would send out ‘ mystery shoppers ’ who would manually take note of Company B ' s offerings and pricing and adjust their own accordingly to make them more attractive to consumers . Today , our shopping ecosystem has clearly gone digital and these ‘ mystery shoppers ’ have simply shifted into online data collection , which provides companies with the information they need to decide their pricing strategy or special offers . Online data collection ensures that companies can effectively compete and continue to attract their target consumer base .
They have to be committed to accessing public web data only . Public web data discussed here must be treated with the utmost sensitivity , integrity and professionalism .
If done right , which means following international regulations and clear and wellestablished ethical guidelines to preserve users ’ data privacy , then you are ensuring that you are legal and ethical .
The ability to compete openly benefits businesses , providing better price offerings , new products and an improved shopping experience that benefits consumer communities . Online data collecting encourages information transparency and advances an openly competitive economy and you can ’ t really argue otherwise .
Myth # 3 : Question marks surround web data collection ’ s ethical nature
Let ’ s look at the fact that all public domain data can be openly accessed – that ’ s a given . However , questions around ethics kick in when you select your web data collection provider .
Ron Kol , CTO at Bright Data
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