Question

Need Recognition- Amazon- uses prescriptive and predictive analytics to show Ads of products which a visitor has visited in recent past. Also it shows products which one has visited or clicked on last visit/ login by using analytics. It will showcase alternative products/ brands too, for example visiting a Samsung mobile, will show next time other Samsung as well as HTC etc. brands too along with numerous accessories. This lures customers to more products and act as a trigger to need recognition. Alternative Search- Edmunds- shows different categories of cars available as per the geography and conditions and models, like Old/ Reconditioned and New cars from various brands like Mazda, BMW, Bentley from all models like Hatchback, Minvans, Coupes etc. also providing detailed information along with technical specifications so that users looking for a car can see what alternatives they can opt for, which one is more feasible to them as per their utility/ budget/ life style etc. Alternative Evaluation- PriceRunner- showcases products from various categories, example- small home appliances, offering huge range or products- kettles, iron, coffee maker, juicer etc. Buyer can see Juicers from various company, with pricing and all kinds of specification comparison available to decide him which one to go for, along with product photos and hence, actually evaluating the alternative products available. Purchase Decision- UPS- provides Shipping/ Logistics/ International Trade services to individuals/ small and large corporates, with a variety of pricing options and quick/ normal delivery options, for all sizes of consignment or material to be transported. It helps all kinds of customers to chose as per the priority of delivery or price. PayPal- helps customers to pay for an item to any companies tied up with it, across any industry/ geography via different modes of secured and trust worthy payment gateways, with credit/ debit cards, cash, bank account transfer etc. It offers the right flexibility to every buyer. Post Purchase Evaluation- Ebay- Peer to Peer reviews are important part of a purchase decision. Example Customer reviews posted on Ebay for a specific model of Samsung can help other buyers evaluate about utility/ durability/ reliability/ technical specifications/ worth of that model. Different users who bought via Ebay, post about different features and benefits/ user experience. It helps one to check on various parameters before making a buy or no-buy decision.

Answer 1

In my views, companies have been keeping a track of all the activities of users who are browsing the Internet using various established search engines. Based on the history of searches, the customer data is being shared to the respective companies who can market their products accordingly to the customer. Google is a free search engine, but it is garnering its revenues from the product placement and promotion of various brands.

Companies are capitalizing on the data collected by Google, in the following manner:

• Based on search history, the companies can identify the products of services desired by consumers and accordingly target the consumer
• Companies can analyse the navigational clicks of consumers to understand their preferences and the ads which are appealing to them
• Companies can analyse the blocked data content to understand the advertisements not preferred by the consumers
• Companies can study the demographics of search data collected by Google to understand the consumer statistics for their brands