News from this newspaper (reporter Gao Yazhang) It is not new for the same commodity to be "killed" with big data that is more expensive for old users than new users.

Recently, a consumer reported to a reporter from "Workers Daily" that the quality of goods received by new users with the same link and the same product was far lower than that of old users. The consumer suspected that he had been "killed" by big data.

What's going on here?

　　"My boyfriend and I bought two identical necklaces in the same store, but the quality is very different." In August this year, Ms. Zhang from Guangdong bought a pearl necklace online at a jewelry flagship store and was very satisfied after receiving it.

Then, in order to honor her "mother-in-law", her boyfriend ordered a necklace of the same style, size and price at the same store.

However, Ms Zhang said: "The pearls in the two necklaces are completely different, obviously one big and one small."

　　After careful comparison, Ms. Zhang found that the links and delivery notes of the two necklaces were exactly the same, but the quality, appearance, and size were significantly different, which made her incomprehensible: "The customer service said that this is caused by the natural growth of pearls, but the use of It’s hard to convince people to explain such a big difference.” Ms. Zhang insisted that the merchant used big data to analyze that she was a woman and had certain experience in jewelry selection. At the same time, she analyzed that her boyfriend had not searched for related products and lacked identification. ability.

"I suspect that I have encountered big data 'killing'," Ms. Zhang said.

　　The reporter's investigation learned that some consumers have encountered similar experiences to Ms. Zhang when purchasing goods on e-commerce platforms.

Is the consumption trap put on a new "coat"?

Does big data "kill" really exist?

　　Shen Yan, a professor at the National Development Institute of Peking University and deputy director of the Digital Finance Research Center of Peking University, believes that the "killing" of big data does not conform to the business logic of the digital age.

"For merchants, traffic is very important, and there is no reason to pour cold water on new customers who come here. The big data 'killing' observed by consumers may be that some customers in the user portrait are identified as high-end customers, while others are not high-end customers. "Shen Yan said.

　　"Whether it is big data 'killing' or 'killing', platform operators analyze consumers' preferences based on algorithms and other technical means, and differentiate pricing or services for the same products." Shen Yan said that to a certain extent , a by-product of the advantages of digital technology is differential pricing based on meeting diverse needs.

However, as an intermediary platform between producers and consumers, e-commerce platforms, if the information is asymmetric and the rules are not clear, will easily give consumers the impression that businesses use big data to "kill" or "kill".

　　The "China Big Security Perception Report (2021)" released by the Internet Development Research Center of Peking University and 360 Group shows that 70% of the public feel that algorithms can obtain their own preferences and interests, so as to "calculate" themselves.

　　Shen Yan suggested that in the face of algorithms and other technical means to analyze the possible violations of consumer preferences, it is necessary to promote algorithm audits to evaluate whether the settings of some parameters and weights in the algorithm are reasonable, and whether there is any behavior that infringes consumers' rights and interests by adjusting the weights. .

At the same time, consumers, platforms, regulators and other parties should also understand the algorithm rules, so as to reduce the risks caused by information asymmetry as much as possible.

　　workers daily

　　Gao Yazhang