Vail Resorts | Personal Identifiable Information (PII) | Privacy Policy

This week, we'll explore how Vail Resorts handles the security of your personal information

Privacy Policy

As discussed in my week 4 blog, Vail Resorts focuses a lot of their Search Engine Marketing tactics in foreign countries.  However, we'll be looking at their privacy policy, which states that their data collection and usage are based on US laws, and the usage of this site gives permission to share information worldwide according to this policy.

In the United States, laws and regulations are generally much looser than regulations worldwide. The United States favors self-regulation for data privacy on the internet. However, the Federal Trade Commission has federal privacy legislation passed in three sectors: Children under 13, the financial industry, and the healthcare industry. Vail Resorts follows the FTC's guidelines where relevant. 

This part of the privacy policy clearly outlines what is available for users of the site and services that are under the age of 13. Parental consent is necessary, and the child's information can not be used for marketing purposes, nor be shared with third-parties. 

FIPP Guidelines

The fair information practices principles attempt to set a standard of personal data collection for all internet using countries. These principle are listed below:

• Notice/Awareness - Giving the user notice before the information is collected
• Choice/Consent - Giving the user control how much and what information is used
• Access/Participation - Giving the user transparency on the accuracy of the data, and allowing them the opportunity to change if necessary
• Enforcement/Redress - Having a mechanism in place to enforce these principles and how affected parties can be compensated if these terms are violated

Although this section is labeled "consent", this section outlines the notice of data collection.

This lengthy section provides information about what information is collected, and how the data is used. This would fit into the choice/consent guidelines. I am pleasantly surprised with the examples provided. The language is suited towards the benefits for the user, rather than the use of the data for Vail's benefit. The way this was written provides more clarity and trust than other privacy policies I've read. Usually, the trust isn't there, and I'd rather not participate in providing personal data, but the benefits of the service I'm reading about are worth the data collection.

The access and participation part are very short. I haven't created an account on this site, but I assume a user could change their information after logged in. However, there are contact points provided here if someone needs information changed.

Finally, the enforcement/redress section is covered here. Again, the disclosure of US operations is included here, and contact address for Vail Corporation is located here. 

Although this privacy policy was written 6 1/2 years ago, it is still relevant and effective. Vail hasn't been involved in any major controversies or data breaches. One of their biggest competitive advantages is a value added service that tracks the vertical feet that a visitor skied/snowboarded that day, as well as keeping track of any professional photography that Vail employees took of that user. These items are available for social share, so Vail has deep links to a user's information, but provides plenty of incentive for a user to provide private information. 

The only hole I can see in the handling of private identifiable information is as Vail Corporation continues to acquire mountain resorts in other countries (recently Whistler, BC, Canada and Perisher, Australia), their privacy regulations may suffer from the expansion. 

Topgolf - Website Review | Desktop & Mobile Sites

This week, I'll be reviewing Topgolf again. We'll take a look at the user experience on desktop and mobile. 

Desktop:

The main goal for the desktop site is for informational purposes. For a first time customer, they may be navigating the site to learn about this new concept, and get an idea of what to expect on their first visit. Below is the very top of the Topgolf home page, before scrolling down.

The navigation bar at the top is very easy to use. A first time user could find their nearest location from that bar, or by clicking the locations button in the middle of the page. The other navigational items show the way to frequently asked questions, menus, pricing, game modes, and even signing up for an account. All useful information is just one click and landing page away, and is above the fold.

As a user scrolls down, this is the next experience:

The top menu stays locked onto the top of the page, and the multiple banners are available with common landing pages, or special promotions going on. These are designed well, and all have different calls to action. As the user continues to scroll, this is the next experience:

Another way to navigate to your nearest location! Instead of the navigation bar or clicking the button at the top of the screen, these show little snippets of the locations with their cities on the graphics. Again, helping a user find information to get to their nearest Topgolf (desired action) just one click away.

Here is are the cities continued, in alphabetical order.

Toward the bottom, there are additional items like employment, gift cards, and an app link. The social buttons go to the main Topgolf accounts. 

Let's go further and explore the most likely click a new user would explore, the locations page. Let's say we didn't choose the specific one from the navigation bar or the button from the bottom of the page, but we just pressed the "locations" button on the top center of the page.

An easy to use location finder! I believe Google estimated my location when landing on the home page. The top portion is a snippet from Google Maps, and the first result is the closest location to where I am. It gives immediate contact information, operation hours, and further links for more information. We want to visit the Salt Lake location, but are looking for more specific information, so we'll click venue details.

We land on Salt Lake Topgolf's homepage. Just two clicks from the homepage. The address and home number are displayed at the top again, with additional information appearing on the center of the page. There are display links for event planning, additional photos, and menus. Toward the bottom, there are promotions available for a user. 

This is a great experience for a user to find their nearest location. For a user on desktop, I believe this would be the informational experience that is desired. For Topgolf, the monetary conversion is not the desired conversion on the site, but mostly to provide enough information and value about the experience they will have at their nearest Topgolf. There are options to buy gift cards and sign up for memberships, but I believe those are secondary desired actions.

Security:

E-commerce is not the focus of the desktop site. However, there are opportunities to buy gift cards, so I explored the purchasing experience. Not captured in the image below, but the checkout page uses SSL and is on an https page. However, there is not anything related to the design of the page, or any graphics that reassure the user their information will remain secure and private. Another item to note is the integration of PayPal to accommodate payments. This can help users convert their purchases using a trusted form of payment.

Mobile:

The mobile experience is also great for the user. The color scheme and design are very similar, with many of the images being consistent across the platforms. Below is the landing page for the mobile experience. 

The site is mobile optimized (different version than the desktop experience), and it loaded very quickly. I am on wifi, so I couldn't tell if Topgolf was and AMP project participant. The image and messaging is the exact same on mobile with the "Let's Play!" message and the same two buttons located on the center of the screen. The navigation doesn't appear like it does on desktop, but this avoids clutter at the top of the screen and only appears if a user takes action to tap on the menu. The location option is still a desired action at the top, to get a new user to learn more. Here is an example of what a user will see if they scroll down. 

More similar graphics, but a mobile user will only see 1 or 1 1/2 actionable graphics at once. I believe these were designed with the "one hand" user in mind, and promoting ease of use on mobile. For example, if the mobile experience looked like the desktop experience and had all of the locations or promotions on one screen, it would be hard to narrow down on a few pixels to get the desired landing page. 

On mobile, I believe more of an emphasis is placed on the mobile app download than the desktop version. download page is attached below.

Topgolf is the first organic result for this search, but they also have a paid ad for a mobile game that they are partnered with. Here is the experience on the mobile app:

I didn't go any further to create an account, but the app provides easy links to informational pages if you are not logged in. For people with accounts, the app gives easy access to game scores, previous visits, and even a way to change the channels in a hitting bay! I'm not familiar with the notifications or remarketing associated with the app, but it does look like it provides a purchasing opportunity through the priority pass option. This option allows a user to skip a wait time at their nearest location and reserve a bay to promote even easier use. 

Topgolf's website and mobile presence are exceptional. User experience and ease of use are phenomenal, but if there's anywhere to improve, it's the mobile app. The reviews are not great for the app, and these reasons could be explored further. If I were to provide any feedback, they would be based on assumptions. However, the mobile app provides great opportunities for data mining, segmentation, and remarketing. Promotions to get users to interact and get involved to come back would be great. For example, if a user hasn't visited in 3 months, a remarketing campaign could be used to get the user to come back at a special price. Or, if there are certain times of day that the Topgolf is slow, a location based campaign could be used to promote engagement. A new user campaign would also be useful. If a user has the app, but has never visited, a campaign to encourage the user to sign up for a lifetime membership and a reduced cost can help drive more traffic to Topgolf locations.