Consumers | YPGG - Why Green?

Targeted Advertising: The Future of Commerce, or Serious Invasion of Consumer Privacy?

May 14, 2019 / Chris Boyle / 0 Comments

NEW YORK - Years ago, a well-known story made its way around the news media regarding a father who's teenage daughter had been receiving mail ads for maternity clothing and nursery furniture from mega-retailer Target.

In 2012, a widely circulated story surfaced about how mega-retailer Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant even before her father did. It turns out that, even in the early 2000s, national retail chains were using complex computer algorithms to determine products you may need based on previous purchases you have made. File photo: Pixabay.

It turns out that, even in the early 2000s, national retail chains were using complex computer algorithms to determine products you may need based on previous purchases you have made. Based on the purchases this gentleman's daughter had made, Target's computers had made an assumption – and a correct one – that she was indeed pregnant and even approximately estimated her due date. Based on that information, it automatically generated advertising mailers and sent them to her address.

On one hand, this demonstrates an incredible degree of sophistication when it comes to the technology in use; in fact, some people may actually enjoy the convenience that these so-called “targeted ads” may afford them. Many others, however, consider this a gross and horrific violation of privacy. Targeted ads often make use of any information you may give to any given company, in addition to often utilizing any readily available, public information that may be floating around as well; particularly information commonly found in any White Page directory, such as name, address, phone number, and more.

Also, bear in mind that the story above took place well over a decade ago. Obviously, technology has improved by leaps and bounds since then, so it's only natural to wonder just what information a company can glean from your past buying history now, and how they can tailor their advertising campaigns to take advantage of it. Again, some might prefer receiving advertising with a personal touch – geared towards the types of purchases they've made in the past – but many people often find these ads a little too creepy. More often than not, consumers have been wondering “how the heck did they find THAT out about me?” upon receiving one of these unsolicited advertisements.

It's similar to how “cookies” behave- those files in your browser that keep track of your browsing history and in turn, can generate ads based on websites you've previously visited. It's all part of the targeted ad phenomenon, and nowadays the average person is practically bombarded with them on a daily basis. And it turns out that a vast majority of Americans – well over 60 percent – have said in online polls that they are not happy with having their behavior online tracked, analyzed, and essentially used against them for the sake of selling products.

Those involved in the poll that did not mind receiving targeted ads noted that they enjoyed seeing advertisements for things they were interested in, as opposed to random fluff that they would immediately tune out. In addition, those who minded targeted ads the least were young people up to the age of 29, who noted that it was a useful way to get information about goods and services they were interested in. However, a growing percentage of youth are also worried that they are spending too much time on their smartphones, a surprising statistic since everywhere you go, that's exactly what you see- young people with their faces glued on their phones constantly.

There's no doubt that the internet and smartphones have certainly brought a great deal of convenience into our lives, but unfortunately with that convenience comes a general loss of privacy. Consumers in today's digital age are giving up their anonymity, as well as their autonomy to act without being subtly and emotionally swayed by marketing experts wielding highly sophisticated computer software.

Reports also indicate that targeted advertising not only keeps track of what you have bought in the past, but can also actually figure out exactly what factors TRIGGER you to buy the things that you buy. It has led to advertising campaigns that may specifically attempt to exploit intense emotions – such as insecurity and depression – for the sole purpose of making a sale.

As for how to avoid being the target of targeted ads, that's actually a very difficult path to navigate. For everything we do know about how advertisers acquire, analyze, and use your personal data, there's more than likely just as much – if not more – that we don't know about it. Corporate advertising is a very secretive game, so the best you can do is simply try to use your common sense when navigating websites and social media, and try not to put anything there that you wouldn't want a total stranger to know. Otherwise, it's possible this just may have to be an accepted aspect of life in the digital age going forward; that is, unless you just take your computer and smartphone and throw them both right in the dumpster. But ultimately, it simply involves making your own decisions, despite whatever may pop up in your mailbox or in your social media feed.

YPGG: Opting Out of Phone Book Delivery Vital for Consumers and Environment

August 30, 2018 / Lee Ann Rush / 0 Comments

Companies which print paper books are burning 3.2 kilowatts of electricity per hour and wasting over 7,200,000 barrels of fossil fuel.

NORTHPORT -- YellowPagesGoesGreen.org ("YPGG"), a telephone directory at the forefront of the environmentally-conscious "Green" movement, is announcing the greater-than-ever need to participate in the national "out-out" movement regarding unwanted home delivery of print telephone directories. With a vast array of digital and internet-based alternatives available to consumers to consult to get the information they need, the very concept of the traditional phone book is a relic best consigned to history's garbage heap, and opting out of its delivery is not only a great way to reduce clutter in your life, but to also safeguard the environment as well.

An innovator in digital business and telephone directory listings and an advocate for staunch environmentalism, YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is a cutting-edge website that delivers over 28.5 million up-to-the-minute Yellow Page listings and over 200 million White page listings throughout the United States. In addition, YPGG is a pioneer in the national phone book "opt-out" movement that seeks to abolish obsolete print telephone directories that are not only out-of-date by the time they land on doorsteps, but find themselves clogging landfills by the millions shortly thereafter.

Every year, thousands upon thousands of phone books land upon the stoops of people who almost never even crack them open once, as their needs in that regard are already fulfilled by any number of digital alternatives, such as YPGG, easily and instantly accessible via devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, and laptops, just to name a few.

However, despite the uselessness of phone books in this day and age, much of the populace is unaware of the option to opt-out of their delivery; they instead simply accept these clumsy and out-of-date tomes as a part of everyday life that they've always known. But if they took a moment to see how destructive they are – in addition to how unnecessary – they would likely be far more inclined to take the simple step of opting out of their delivery once and for all by visiting YPGG's website: https://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/opt-out.php. Once there, it's just a matter of clicking the "opt-out" button and following a few easy steps to forever sever yourself from print phone directory delivery, stopping the unsolicited delivery of 540 million books per year.

Opting out of phone book delivery can help the Earth in many ways. First, it helps conserve energy, as the companies that print them are burning up 3.2 kilowatt of electricity per hour and wasting over 7,200,000 barrels of fossil fuel, in addition to many other finite natural resources. Secondly, opting out also helps to save trees, as already over 19,000,000 of them have been gobbled up to serve the publishing needs of phone book companies. Thirdly, phone books are expensive and difficult to recycle – on the rare occasions that the average person even bothers to do so – due to the specific nature of the paper fiber used. And finally, opting out saves the consumer time, as using online alternatives such as YPGG makes it far easier for them to find up-to date-listings for people and businesses, doing in mere moments what would take far, far longer with an actual physical book.

"YellowPagesGoesGreen.org isn't against the telephone books themselves, but the unwanted delivery of five pounds of paper to people's doorsteps," said YPGG CEO and President, Michael Keegan. "We believe that you shouldn't have to bear the cost of recycling something you didn't ask for in the first place. If we want a phone book, we'll ask for one."

As you can see, opting-out of home delivery of print telephone directories makes sense in every conceivable way that you could look at it. It saves time, it's more efficient, and it's best for the planet. Opt out today and do your part to make the Earth a cleaner, greener place for us all to live.

Yellow Pages Directory Inc., owner of both YellowPagesGoesGreen.org and PaperlessPetition.org, offers an environmentally-friendly Web-based alternative to paper telephone directories while providing a simple and convenient mechanism for customers to opt out from the receipt of printed yellow books. Both web sites have been instrumental in promoting opt-out awareness across the United States over the past several years, and allowing users to reduce their own environmental footprints in the process. Yellow Pages Directory Inc. has also taken steps to reduce its own impact on the environment through the use of the most up-to-date and energy-efficient web-hosting services available.

For more information please visit http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org.

Report Says Over 80 Percent of Smartphone-Savvy Shoppers Do Last-Second Yellow Page Research Before Buying Retail

February 9, 2018 / Chris Boyle / 0 Comments

NEW YORK, NY - It’s become a commonplace ritual whenever you head to any sort of retail establishment; before plunking down the dough on an expensive big-screen television set or a pricey winter coat, you’ll notice shoppers putting on the breaks while they perform a now-standard ritual- whipping out their smartphones for a quick, last-second yellow pages lookup of any competitor selling the same item at a potentially lower price.

In this day and age where people are pinching every penny in order to get by, it only makes sense to assure yourself that you’re getting the best possible deal for your money; in fact, according to reports, over 82 percent of shoppers will turn to the yellow pages on their smartphones in order to do product research at the last possible moment before committing to a purchase, often when they’re already standing in the check-out line. They could be comparing prices among competing brands or retailers, checking reviews, or any number of other activities, and it’s happening more and more these days due to the ubiquity of internet-enabled cell phone technology.

Smartphone use as it pertains to shopping is getting to the point that, according to one study, consumers are more likely to consult with their phone than actually bothering to talk to a flesh-and-blood sales associate at any given store prior to making a purchase. In a recent survey, 58 percent of shoppers said that their smartphones are most commonly used in stores to look up reviews and product information on a potential item that they are interested in buying, followed by 54 percent of shoppers who said that they used their mobile devices to check and compare prices before committing to a sale.

In addition, it’s also been found that at least 40 percent of shoppers will conduct yellow page searches in order to locate and download coupons before making a purchase, so if a retailer is interested in increasing foot traffic to their stores, enticing the public with not only a mobile-friendly website design, but some digital discounts as well, is a sure way to do so.

The evolution of shopping in this manner comes as no surprise, as smartphone searches related to shopping jumped approximately 120 percent last year, and have only continued to increase as times goes by. Clearly, phones are playing a bigger and bigger role in not only driving shoppers to retail, but also helping them to decide what to buy once they get there. In fact, research finds that 50 percent of shoppers that conduct a local yellow page search on their phone will visit a store within 24 hours or less, and about 20 percent of those searches will result in a purchase.

How many time have you looked up a business on the yellow pages, however, and found frustration when you realized that you had no way of knowing if the item you were looking for on their website was actually in-stock at a location near you? A helpful feature that retailers have begun to implement in an effort to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores – as opposed to losing sales to online-only sales – is the ability to track and display an up-to-date online inventory list, and retailers that invest in this feature have seen a whopping 122 percent bump in store visits from consumers who initially visited their websites looking for a certain item, saw that it was in-stock locally, and decided to pick it up. Clearly, if it comes down to ordering online and waiting several days for delivery – and often paying a hefty shipping fee as well – or simply driving down to a local store and buying it the same day, shoppers are opting for the latter out of both savings and convenience.

As you can see, the ability to access the internet and conduct valuable research via the yellow pages on any purchase that a consumer may be contemplating in-store has truly changed the way retail is handled in a variety of ways. Many stores are now pouring money into enabling a greater synergy between their websites and their physical locations in an effort to drive more shoppers to their stores and increase their profits, including creating downloadable smartphone apps that allow customers to scan bar-codes, check prices, and even pay for their purchases when it comes time to check out. Indeed, technology has changed the shopping experience for good, and it will be interesting to see how it continues to evolve as time goes by.

Tag: Consumers

YPGG: Opting Out of Phone Book Delivery Vital for Consumers and Environment

Companies which print paper books are burning 3.2 kilowatts of electricity per hour and wasting over 7,200,000 barrels of fossil fuel.

Report Says Over 80 Percent of Smartphone-Savvy Shoppers Do Last-Second Yellow Page Research Before Buying Retail

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