Why Can’t We Fix These Nags?

There are so many things we become numb to. See something often enough and you almost ignore it’s there. Constant reminders and notifications about things to buy are certainly in that category. You get used to them, know they won’t really go away, and yet every now and then, one of them just jumps off the screen and hits you wrong and pisses you off. 

The ones that really grate are the ones that encourage me to buy something that I already own or subscribe to, or deals I’m ineligible for. Like the “Don’t Miss 3 Free Months of Music” one pictured above. I’ve been an Apple Music subscriber for longer than I can remember, yet I keep getting this offer that’s obviously aimed at new customers. I find it insulting.

Look I get it. Companies want and need new customers. Older customers drop off as the prices inevitability rise. Discounts and free trials always entice. But to insult existing and long term companies with offers that essentially undercut the established relationship is just that. Insulting. 

With all of the latest and greatest tech innovations, why can’t companies find a way to know that we’re already a customer and keep from sending us these offers that insult loyal users for already supporting them? Based on the blizzard of emails, text spam, and notifications you almost instantly receive after buying a product from other companies selling the same thing that tech obviously exists. Maybe all of these moves into “personnel context” will solve that. I doubt it. In fact, I will bet that it will only make the situation worse. 

Customer loyalty hasn’t been what it used to be for quite a long time. That’s old school, corner store thinking. Today we’re not viewed as customers. Just another data point. 

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