Target Targeting Unborn Babies: Caring or Creepy?

According to an article posted on Forbes.com, Target is keep tabs on what women buy and can anticipate if they are pregnant. Using a guest ID number, Target creates a huge file on their customers and can see what they are buying. The Target statistician, Andrew Pole, will then run test after test to see what women are purchasing around the same time. Target can even predict what stage the pregnant women are purchasing the items.

For instance, Pole and his associates found out that women that were starting their second trimester were buying larger quantities of unscented lotion. Also, certain supplements like calcium, magnesium and zinc were being purchased when a woman was in her first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Target can even use this data to estimate a woman’s due date, and gets pretty close to it too.

The store uses this information to send coupons based on what stage the woman’s pregnancy is at. In one case, Target sent coupons to a girl whose father did not know she was pregnant. She was in high school and needless to say, the dad was not happy that Target figured out his daughter’s secret before him.

From the business standpoint, I can see where Target is benefiting from sending coupons at the right times of a woman’s pregnancy. A woman would be thinking of how she needs to stock up on different items and oh so conveniently, Target sends her coupons for those exact items. However, in my opinion this is way too creepy. There should definitely be boundaries on what a company can keep tabs on.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a Target rewards program where you swipe a little Target card and they send you coupons based on your points. This is a customer using their personal credit or debit card and Target using the information that is on that card. Target has now said that they still send the coupon catalogs to their planned mothers but, they try to incorporate other items alongside the baby items to make it less big brother. Nevertheless, they know what to expect when you are expecting.

How would you feel if a company was keeping tabs on your extremely personal life? Let us know!

Written By Taylor Kincaid