E-receipts are becoming more common but what are you actually
agreeing to when you hand over your email address? The Data
Protection Commissioner ("DPC"), having received numerous
complaints, carried out a series of audits to assess how
organisations gather and process personal data in the course of
providing e-receipts to customers. In a number of cases it was
found that email addresses, gathered for the purpose of issuing
e-receipts, were being used to subsequently issue marketing
material.
Where an email address is collected for the sole purpose of
sending an e-receipt, the customer should not subsequently receive
marketing emails. The retailer must obtain the consent of the
customer to be able to send on marketing information. Customers
should also be given the option to receive just the e-receipt and
be able to opt out of receiving related marketing emails.
