Amazon Shopper Panel – Snitch on competitors for $10 a month

Amazon have launched the Amazon Shopper Panel app to gather market intelligence on competitor retailers. They say that participation (by which they mean gathering reams of data on what you buy from other retailers) will help brands offer better products and make ads more relevant on Amazon.

Download and install the Amazon Shopper Panel app (only available in the US currently) and upload 10 receipts a month and you’ll earn $10 towards either an Amazon Balance or a charitable donation. You can earn additional rewards each month for every survey you complete.

You can use the Amazon Shopper Panel app to take pictures of paper receipts or forward email receipts to [email protected]. Most receipts for purchases made within the past 30 days are eligible, including those from retailers (such as grocery stores, drug stores, and department stores) and entertainment outlets (such as restaurants, movie theaters, and theme parks).

The Amazon Shopper Panel is invite only, but if you are invited to join the panel you can download the app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. If you are in the US and want to give your data to Amazon, you can download the app to join the waitlist and will be notified via email when space becomes available.

Participation in the Amazon Shopper Panel is voluntary and panelists can stop using the app, sharing receipts, or answering survey questions at any time. Amazon only receives information that panelists explicitly choose to share via the Shopper Panel, such as the information extracted from any uploaded receipts (including product or retailer names) or survey responses.

Amazon deletes any sensitive information, such as prescription information from drug store receipts. Panelists also have the option to delete previously uploaded receipts at any time.

There are several ways Amazon could use your data. First and foremost, they’ll get to learn where you shop when you’re not buying from Amazon. Often consumers may use Amazon for research and then buy in a physical store and Amazon will get to know not just when this happens but whether you found a better price than on Amazon.

Amazon may use the data to court brands who don’t currently offer products on the marketplace but which they know loyal Amazon customers are buying in stores. What’s more powerful than saying x% of our Amazon Shopper Panel buy your products so if they were available on Amazon we have millions of shoppers who would probably also buy.

Amazon will also doubtless use the data to suggest to brands that they should use Amazon Advertising, both on Amazon with Sponsored Products/Sponsored Brands and on and off Amazon with DSP (Demand-side platform).

Scanning receipts for points that make prizes is nothing new – I have friends that routinely collect receipts to scan. The only bit that’s really news here is that Amazon are getting into the receipt scanning game and to ponder on how they will make use of the data.