Though we usually go to Amazon to spend our money and buy shiny new things, the company has today launched a new program to pay us for our shopping data. Called the Amazon Shopper Panel, the program will see users earn rewards by sharing receipts from purchases made outside of Amazon and by completing short surveys.
Sounds easy, right? The company is going to pay you rewards for uploading 10 receipts per month from non-Amazon offline retailers. It means you can submit payment receipts from grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, and entertainment outlets such as movie theaters, theme parks, and more.
You cannot add receipts from the company’s own stores, including Whole Foods, Amazon Go, Amazon Four Star, and Amazon Books. Where do you upload these receipts? You can use the new Amazon Shopper Panel app on Android iOS. Simply click a picture of your offline receipts and upload them to the app. Also, users can choose to mail them at receipts@panel.amazon.com if that’s more convenient. The company also offers users the option to delete previously uploaded receipts.
It is not mandatory to participate and share personal offline shopping details with Amazon. This is an opt-in, invite-only program and all of your sensitive information (including prescriptions or card details) is deleted. The same does not apply for your personal information, which Amazon stores in accordance with its Privacy Policy.
What does the company gain from this? The goal of this exercise to “help brands offer better products and make ads more relevant on Amazon,” says the listing. From what I understand, the receipts will give the company a rough idea of what users are buying, the price certain goods are selling for, and if Amazon can offer you a better deal going forward – be it offline or online.
The Amazon Shopper Panel is currently available in the US and there is currently no word on whether the company plans to bring this to India or not.
