Retailers turn to email receipts

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This article was published 11/07/2011 (5287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You’ve heard it a million times at the checkout counter: “Receipt with you, or in the bag?”

Now, you might hear a third option: your email inbox.

An increasing number of retailers are offering to send receipts by email, touting it as a convenient, environmentally friendly alternative to paper receipts. Gone, they say, are the days of digging through your purse looking for that crumpled slip of paper.

Retailers including Nordstrom and Gap began offering paperless receipts in the past few months and it also has been embraced by smaller businesses.

“It does a lot of different things,” said Nordstrom spokesman Colin Johnson. “If they (customers) prefer to save paper, they can get it electronically. If they want to save some time, it can do that.”

But while some praise the policy for its added convenience, others view it as a ploy to gain access to a customer’s email account.

“It’s a subtle way of saying, ‘How can I invade your personal life but not offend you at the same time?’ I’ve got to give them credit — it’s a pretty ingenious act,” said Britt Beemer, a retail analyst and founder of America’s Research Group.

It’s part of a growing effort by retailers to electronically reach out to consumers via their smartphones and computers.

They send emails and text messages alerting consumers to deals. They have websites and Facebook pages and smartphone apps, all aimed at making the store more than just a bricks-and-mortar shop.

Typically, emailed receipts will contain offers for consumers to receive coupons and other deals from retailers in the near future. Consumers may opt out of receiving those offers, but some are still loath to give stores their email addresses.

Ronda Coon said she was a bit leery when a Gap employee asked whether she’d like her receipt emailed as she shopped at the Fashion Mall in Indianapolis last week.

“I admit I’m a little skeptical they want me on their list so they can spam me,” the Danville, Ind., woman said with a laugh.

Although such concerns may be valid, no retailer serious about building a relationship with its customers would consider taking advantage of email access, said John Talbott, assistant director of Indiana University’s Center for Education and Research in Retailing.

— USA Today