How Much is Your Browsing Data Worth?

It’s been said that if you’re not the customer, you’re the product that is being sold. Since you don’t pay for the Internet, you are what companies are clamoring to buy. So, how much are you worth?

Companies make money showing products and ads to people who are likely to buy. Places like Google, Facebook, and others get advertisers to their sites by products they promote to you. It’s like warm prospecting instead of old calling. They look at the sites you visit to figure out which products you are most likely to purchase.

E-commerce

According to a study done by a data visualization company, visitors who browse a site have values as well as the one who ends up buying, just not as much. Their value is at .43 cents as opposed to the buyer with a worth of $1.30. That doesn’t sound like much until you think of the millions of people on the Internet.

Take Charge

Personal is a company that was founded in 2009 that is trying to capitalize on the transfer of information to advertisers. They are a storage site with the theme that they keep your data secure. They are creating a model to sell information to advertisers who are looking for specific information. You would fill out surveys or other information sheets and be willing to share that with others. Why is that good for you? Because you choose what information you are willing to share, advertisements are of more interest to you.
Personal also benefits because companies will be more willing to pay a higher price for a tailored list as opposed to one that is random. You can provide your birthdate, hobbies, interests, even post photos. Personal would get your permission, possibly even giving you incentive to give it and then make money with the tailored lists. All of this information can help advertisers know how to promote their products to you. And it can help you get the best deals available for products you already buy. It becomes a winning situation for everyone as long as you are in control of the information that is shared.

[Image via deltatre]