In these days of technology overload and data privacy concerns there could be endless debates on whether search engines should remember and track your browsing and search history.
While I do not aim to touch on that debate in this post, I just want to share my own positive experience today on why I am so thankful that one search engine actually remembered my history AND provided meaningful recommendations based on my past browsing habits.
First some background…
Every good story needs to be set in it’s context. In my case, the backstory involves my two kids (one teen and another almost there). They’ve both been excelling with their cross country running times this season in their respective categories. And I had been considering buying them one of those GPS watches that will allow them to track their running performance while they are on the go to help them assess and make adjustments while running…especially during races.
But here was the catch. Those watches are expensive. And so I thought to myself that maybe I will wait for the holiday sale and get it as a nice Christmas present.
Then there was another catch. By December the running season is over.
And my younger one already mentioned to me about the watch saying how it would be really useful (as if I hadn’t already been secretly contemplating about it).
The Searching
So, the searching for a good deal on one of those good quality but not too pricey GPS watches began. I checked on Google. I searched and searched on Amazon, comparing models, reading reviews and trying to make up my mind.
But I just wasn’t ready for the splurge.
The Dilemma
My really problem was that I needed to buy two. So it would be double the cost. My middle schooler was the one really asking about it and sharing me the ones that she thought she needed.
My high schooler who is more financially astute did not express much about his desire to have a watch (and was secretly wishing to have one). And I knew if I had to pick just one person to have the watch, it would have to be him since he was the one in more competitive situations and had more on the line.
So, I knew the price had to be right to buy two.
Mounting Pressure
Meanwhile one of the coaches also messaged me asking if my child had one of those watches re-stating the benefits of such a watch (as if I needed a reminder). She even sent me a link to a model that was modest in features and pricing.
A few days later, just last weekend, we found out that my daughter’s running buddy just got a watch and was stating how very helpful it was.
But I was just biding my time. Well, truthfully, I hadn’t had any spare time to look into it any further and make the plunge.
Search Engine Magic Happens
By now it had been at least a week since I had done any searching. I just had to let my thoughts simmer for awhile. But today when I needed a short mental break from my work, I decided to read the online news and one of the headlines caught my eyes: Amazon was having a huge sale and there were a lot of hot deals.
So, I headed over to the Amazon site where the “Prime Early Access Sales” was virtually plastered all over.
Here is the magical part…
Before I could even look through deals, the Recommended Deals showed up with few options for the GPS watches.
It remembered my searches and was able to match the type of product I was looking for with it’s current 2 day sale.
It made my job so much easier.
The Prize
Within few seconds I had identified the kind of watch I was going to get. It was marked off by $220.
After quick verification it was the right model and had everything my kids would need for running, I quickly added 2 of them to my shopping cart and checked out.
And in less than 10 minutes I was all done with the mental break I needed while also scoring what is a really amazing deal (I may have to write about the watches themselves in another post). I could go back to working.
Here is the complete math:
The Key Takeaways
These are some aspects of this process that I want to highlight.
- This is an example of search history where I really have no data privacy concerns. I was fine with Amazon remembering my shopping searches.
- However, if I had been secretly shopping for a birthday or Christmas present for my husband, then, I probably would not appreciate this so much. I wouldn’t want him to login to our shared account and see what I may been searching for….so, I’ve got to figure out how to browse Amazon without actually logging in and then have a friend buy it for me…a really close friend 🙂
- Amazon actually did something useful with the search history. It churned its algorithms to match items and recommend exactly what I was looking for. If it did not have this intelligent match, I probably would not have found it that useful.
- I probably would have still found the deal even without the recommendation, but it just made it so much faster. If the deal was not presented so quickly, I may not have made a purchase and would have had to come back another time…who knows when
So, all in all, I am thankful for this quick win I had today thanks to advances in technology.
Wishing all of you, my readers, happy deal finding as well.
Jubila 365 