سوء استفاده از مطالب مرتبط با اطلاعات و حریم خصوصی Misuse of Information and Privacy Issues: Understanding the Drivers for Perceptions of Unfairness

Introduction When you disclose your personal information to your retailer, do feel that you are treated fairly? Are you treated differently compared to fellow customers? How do you perceive that you are fairly treated? If you perceive that you are being treated unfairly, what actions do you take? What are the consequences for those suppliers and brands? The theme of this paper is the role of fairness; more specifically, perception of unfairness arising from information misuse and the implications for managing retailer-customer relationships. Misuse of information can be defined as the inappropriate use of information as defined when the data/information was initially collected and often occurs when a firm takes sensitive data and sells it to third parties and agencies who find illegal ways to monetise the information. When dealing with a consumer’s sensitive information, care must be taken in ensuring that the consumer has trust in the firm’s handling of the information. For marketers, customer information is essential to develop effective marketing tactics that are appropriate to the needs of the customers. Such information may not only include a customer’s personal and financial information, or unique identifiers (e.g., passport or social security details), but also their behaviour, such as what they frequently purchase, their interests and hobbies, their behaviour, and so on. All marketing decisions and tactics (e.g. pricing and communication strategies) are based on information obtained from the markets or from the consumers themselves. Therefore, it is critical that marketers treat the information given by their consumers fairly, for instance, by avoiding to probe too much into consumers’ behaviour and to respect their privacy. Once information is obtained, care must be taken in securing the data. This constitutes a fair use of a consumer’s information. Fair use of sensitive information is important for developing strong relationships and trust, while perceived unfairness in terms of information use leads to complaints, negative word of mouth, a lack of trust and even immoral behaviour amongst dissatisfied customers. Greater transparency in the social media era leads to more comparison of how different customers are treated, how their information is handled, and thereby enhanced awareness of fair or unfair treatment. The digital era also makes it easier for those believing themselves ‘wronged’ to share their thoughts and perhaps negatively impact on a brand’s reputation.