POPIA concerns around Woolworths' loyalty programme

[Luis]

Legal opinion about Woolworths forcing people on its new rewards programme to receive marketing emails

Woolworths could run into legal problems by not allowing customers on its new rewards programme, MyDifference, to opt out of marketing emails.

That is the view of Paula Conway, a consultant attorney with Thomson Wilks Inc., who said Woolworths’ loyalty programme raises questions under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

They never heard of the "this is spam" button?

 

[Deandbn]

Direct to 'bin', pass spam..

 

[Smiggles]

They never heard of the "this is spam" button?

Hide my email is even better.

 

[PatchTuesday]

Mark as spam and move on?

 

[Heisenborg]

They never heard of the "this is spam" button?

They are breaking the law. No biggy

 

[ThinkCentre]

Don't enroll or renew. Even easier!

 

[llewellynr]

I fought with them over this before. Because with Discovery to keep your considerable HealthyFood cash back at Woolworths you MUST link MyDifference. Then must agree to program terms stating rewards communication is not marketing communication. I feel Discovery Vitality is complicit in this setup.

My argument is that all their reward communication is in the form of we have made new coupons available come play the board to access more coupons the coupons period is ending. Every reward is just get R50 off when you spend R500 or more; the reward itself is an invitation to come and do business it has no real intrinsic value unredeemed, you may as well clip it out of an in store flyer, it is a coupon, with added gamification and time sensitivity to create the illusion it has value.

Losing my chance to get R50 discount in women’s clothing is not important loyalty program member communication, it is purely of a marketing nature. I wish a legal body could make some ruling on that.

 

[Johand]

Look I hate spam and I am not a big fan of Woolworths. But surely a rewards programs can require certain actions to qualify? I have to jump through multiple hoops to earn FNB eBucks.

What if Woolworths slightly change it so that there are "levels" and to achieve a level you need points and to get points you have to open their emails? Annoying AF and I wouldn't participate but I would say it is legitimate. Because then at least the program is more than just a data harvesting exercise....