Concerns rise that retailers are misusing e-receipt data
Concerns about retailers' ability to hold onto customer data safely are leading to fewer people choosing to receive an e-receipt, a survey has found.
A quarter (23%) of the people surveyed in the survey, commissions by consumer rights group Which?, said they would prefer a digital receipt over a paper receipt but 79% of people had at least one concern about e-receipts.
Top concerns include the unwanted sharing of personal data such as their email address and giving companies more information for personalised marketing with third parties.
The surveyed shoppers carried out an experiment where they made clear to companies such as Topshop, Clarks, Dorothy Perkins, Currys PC World and others they did not want marketing in their e-receipt.
Most of them complied, but e-receipts issued by Mothercare, Schuh, Halfords and Gap contained promotional marketing, “indicating that the retailers may be breaking data protection rules”, Which? said.
Retailers cannot send direct marketing to new customers by email unless consumer has previously agreed to it.
Which? managing director of home products and services Alex Neill said: “More and more shops are offering e-receipts, which can be convenient for shoppers, but our investigation suggests not all shops are aware of the law.
“Retailers must do everything possible to ensure shoppers can have confidence that they won’t be bombarded with unwanted marketing emails and that their personal details are safe.”
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) also considers e-receipts that include marketing to be a direct marketing email: “‘Retailers must understand it’s not enough to assume that because a customer has given their email address to receive an e-receipt that they are happy for it to be used for other purposes,” it said.