Introduction
Amazon, the e-commerce giant, constantly strives to improve its customers’ experience by offering products and services tailored to their needs. To do this, the company collects various personal information and uses technologies such as cookies to personalize the advertisements displayed on its various services. In this article, we’ll explain how Amazon uses this data to refine its ad targeting and provide an optimized user experience.
Amazon’s Use of Personal Information
Amazon collects various data about its users to better understand their preferences and purchasing behavior. This information includes in particular:
- Browsing history on the Amazon site
- Purchases made on the platform
- The history of videos watched on Prime Video
- Interactions with customer service
- Linguistic and geographic preferences
- Other information from third parties such as business partners or social networks.
This collection of information allows Amazon to create a personalized profile for each user, which is then used to serve more relevant advertisements. For example, if you recently watched a specific movie on Prime Video or purchased a particular product on Amazon, you might see ads related to those interests on other company services.
Use of cookies by Amazon and third parties
Cookies are small text files stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognize your browser and record certain information such as your preferences or browsing history.
Amazon uses cookies to:
- Improve the shopping experience by remembering user preferences
- Measure advertising performance by analyzing user behavior regarding the ads displayed
- Personalize product and service recommendations based on user profile.
In addition to cookies placed by Amazon, the company also allows certain business partners to place their own cookies on the site. These “third-party cookies” are mainly used to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns carried out by these partners and to display personalized ads based on the customer’s purchasing behavior and preferences.
Amazon’s cookie policy
In its Cookie Policy, Amazon clearly explains how it uses this technology and the rights users have to manage their privacy preferences. In particular, customers have the possibility:
- To refuse all or some cookies by modifying their browser settings
- To personalize their advertising choices by accessing the “Personalized advertisements” page on the Amazon site.
It is important to note that these preferences can be modified at any time by the user, who can also consult the cookie policy for detailed information on the different types of cookies used and their purpose.
How to refuse or personalize your advertising choices
To manage your personalized advertising preferences, you can go to the “Personalized Ads” page on the Amazon site. There you will find options for:
- Completely opt out of interest-based ads
- Adjust your preferences regarding the categories of products and services that interest you.
Please remember that even if you choose not to receive personalized ads, Amazon will still use cookies to improve your shopping experience and measure advertising performance. However, these cookies will no longer be used to specifically target your interests.
Final note: potential technical issues
Although Amazon is constantly working to improve its user preference management system, technical problems may prevent your choices from being recorded correctly. If you encounter this type of problem, please do not hesitate to contact Amazon customer service for assistance.
