Mothercare, Schuh and Gap at risk of breaking GDPR rules

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Dec 11, 2018

Major national retailers including Mothercare, Schuh and Gap have been warned of a potential GDPR breach linked to the use of e-receipts.

A snapshot investigation from consumer rights group Which showed these high streets brands were including unwanted marketing information in e-receipts sent to shoppers.

Under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force this year, companies must not send direct marketing to new customers by email unless the person receiving the email has consented to receive it.

Which sent mystery shoppers to 11 retailers, including Topshop, Clarks, Gap, New Look, Schuh, Miss Selfridge and Mothercare, and discovered that e-receipts issued by Mothercare, Schuh, Halfords and Gap contained promotional marketing.

Sending  e-receipts with prompts to sign up for the newsletter or invitations to complete a survey in return for money off a purchase could be breaking GDPR rules, the consumer rights association said.

“More and more shops are offering e-receipts, which can be convenient for shoppers, but our investigation suggests not all shops are aware of the law,” commented Alex Neill, managing director of Home Products and Services at Which.

“Retailers must do everything possible to ensure shoppers can have confidence that they won’t be bombarded with unwanted marketing emails and that their personal details are safe.”

A Schuh spokesperson said the company updated its communications in light of the report, and Gap reinforced its commitment to the privacy rights of its customers by announcing an investigation.

The study also unveiled good practice, with all Topshop stores visited displaying signs with information on how customer details would be used.