#Privacy and #Retail: Swirl Study Finds Half of Female Shoppers OK with Retail Tracking If There is a Value Exchange

BOSTON, July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As the retail industry discusses the topic of tracking shoppers' location via WiFi signals on their smartphones, an independent study commissioned by Swirl (http://www.swirl.com) reveals that women are willing to share personal information with retailers as long as they receive value in return. An infographic illustrating the study findings can be viewed at http://bit.ly/12LlE9c.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130717/NE49090-INFO )

Personalized offers and content hold strong allure for female shoppers. According to the study "What Women Want When Apparel Shopping," 50 percent would willingly share their mobile phone's location and other personal information with a retailer in return for an in-store credit, gift, flash sale or early access to new styles. For 47 percent, the price tag for sharing mobile location information is just $5. Women are almost twice as likely to value a personalized offer delivered to their smartphone while shopping in a store (58 percent), than being reminded of an in-store sale by a sales associate (33 percent) or making a purchase from an online flash sale site (31 percent).

"Consumers aren't completely opposed to sharing their location information – it's commonly done with social, weather and traffic apps – but they do want to have control over that information and get a tangible benefit in return for sharing it," stated Hilmi Ozguc, CEO of Swirl. "The same rules apply in retail: if brands create value (like highly relevant, personalized offers and content) for in-store shoppers by using their location, then consumers would be much more willing to share that information."

Methodology
Swirl commissioned independent research firm ResearchNow to study the apparel shopping behaviors and preferences of 1,000 smartphone-owning women shoppers from March 25-26, 2013. The margin of error was +/- 3 percent.

About Swirl
Swirl is an in-store mobile marketing platform provider that is helping retailers leverage the power of mobile to attract and influence consumers while they shop in retail stores. The company is led by an accomplished entrepreneurial team with deep consumer mobile, digital media and advertising, social marketing and e-commerce experience. Swirl is backed by top-tier investors including SoftBank Capital, General Catalyst Partners and Longworth Venture Partners. Learn more at swirl.com and download the app on the Apple App Store.

PR Contact:

Dani Incropera
Swirl
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 978.758.7854

Lisa Mokaba
InkHouse for Swirl
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 781.966.4108

SOURCE Swirl