People.io hopes to empower you
When I first heard about people.io, and saw the tagline “get paid for your time and information” my mind immediately went to some underground operation where people are illegally trading and selling social security numbers, and credit card information. But as I read further, I realized this was actually a good idea, and a major problem solver for consumers everywhere.
People.io is a secure digital marketplace for consumers to monetize their data by licensing it to brands in return for a payment/reward. Why do brands want to pay/rewarded you for such simple information? Because things you like, places you shop, and what you subscribe to aren’t simple to brands, and are in fact their bread and butter.
It’s rather easy to get started, too. Users simply log in, answer a few questions, and begin earning credits for every piece of information they share. You can then exchange those credits for relevant products that you actually like.
This reminds me of Kroger’s reward card system
At one point in time all customers received the same coupons in the mail, no matter if you didn’t like the product, and never purchased it a day in your life. Customer’s were complaining about the uselessness and waste of the coupons, and demanded something more feasible. The answer, was a system that tracked what each customer purchased, and then generated coupons based off of purchasing history. So if your family buys eggs every week, you’d receive a coupon for eggs. And though People.io is more convenient, it is essentially the same idea, and answers the same consumer problem.
Consumers are fed up with the little control they have over their data being misused for ineffective targeting and useless advertisements. People.io gives them control, and allows them to see how, when, and where their data is being used; while receiving compensation for it. If a user leaves People.io, so does all of your personal data…permanently. So no random advertising phone calls three months down the road.
The UK saw an 82 percent growth in the adoption of ad-blocking technologies like these last year, even though they’ve been around since the beginning of internet time; so the service is expected to do well in the UK for sure. Consumers in the US seem to be receptive to the idea and are excited to get compensated for what they already do anyway.
