As publisher of Direct Commerce magazine, its website and DC Weekly e-newsletter my inbox fills every day with press releases, news of product launches, invitations to events. Fair play – everyone wants the exposure that I could provide for their latest development. If it is relevant keep it coming.
As a business owner my inbox fills with messages from suppliers of everything from telephony solutions to car leasing, business travel to stationery, software and tech – you name it someone hopes I am in the market for it. Fair play – on occasions I have been prompted to taker a closer look at what’s being offered and have made a purchases. If it is relevant keep it coming.
As an event organiser I also receive myriad offers from venues, AV companies, speaker bureaux and individuals wishing to speak. Fair play – we’re always on the look out for cracking venues and speakers as well as the products and services that enable us to deliver great events. If it is relevant keep it coming.
As the person who heads the secretariat for the DCA I receive messages from all kinds of businesses which want to get involved in some way or who have questions to ask about the sector in general. Fair play – it is my job to field enquiries and to help in any way I can. If I can help, keep it coming.
As someone who is keenly interested in the sector as a whole I receive newsletters from publishers around the world on all aspects of retailing, eCommerce, direct marketing, logistics and related topics. Fair play – being informed is key to what I do ….. if it is relevant keep it coming.
As a recruitment specialist – in the direct commerce sector – I also receive assignments from businesses looking to source talent for key roles as well as, understandably, individuals looking for new opportunities. Fair play – keep them coming.
I welcome GDPR wholeheartedly as what I am keen to do is not only reduce the volume of totally irrelevant “stuff” that lands in my inbox. Opting out of all of that has been a pleasure. BUT this past few weeks I have been inundated with what can only be called as GPDR SPAM – as businesses I have absolutely no recollection of have been dredging the very depths of their own (or acquired) email address files inviting me to opt in. What’s really funny is the sheer number of emails coming in addressed to individuals who have not worked for my business for a decade or more …. horribly time consuming to deal with and who knew that certain of these past associates had such diverse interests…
Anyway, I digress. If you are reading this it is because you are interested in this whole GDPR “readiness” process and because you too want to be compliant. The problem is that with all of these hundreds of “please opt in” or “feel free to opt-out” missives we’re all in danger of losing patience and cutting our noses off to spite our faces as we go on auto-pilot unsubscribing from everything.
I hope you won’t become a stranger to Direct Commerce and my business – we aim to and hope always to be relevant to your business – and never, ever to bombard you …. but if our single weekly e-newsletter is an intrusion then please feel free to opt out.
Share