Incogni’s researchers found that customers, to claim the benefits offered by such apps, often end up bearing additional costs by sharing their personal and sensitive information including, in some instances, sexual orientation and health information.

Among the highest-valued brands, Nike and H&M stand out by collecting a significant number of data points, including photos, videos, and messages, while PUMA, Under Armour, The North Face, and again H&M were identified as sharing an alarming volume of sensitive data with third parties.

Fashion retailers and online clothing stores frequently encourage users to opt for their official apps, often luring them with attractive discounts, bonuses, or exclusive offers. While it’s expected for online purchases to involve the collection of some personal data, like names, addresses, and payment details, to proceed with the order, Incogni’s research uncovered a more worrying trend. Shoppers are unknowingly parting with sensitive information such as sexual orientation and contact lists, which are sometimes not only collected but also shared with third parties.

Incogni’s researchers carefully examined the practices of the most popular apparel shopping apps from 59 countries, including those of the top-valued apparel brands in 2023, totaling 180 apps. The study focused on data-collection and sharing practices, scrutinizing the reasons provided by app developers for acquiring specific types of data.

The researchers also identified which data points were optional, allowing consumers to retain control over at least some sensitive information.

The study’s key findings reveal a concerning landscape: 45 out of 180 investigated apps collect photos (including Nike, H&M, Victoria’s Secret, and Moncler), 12 apps collect videos (including Nykaa, Vinted, and Meesho), 9 apps collect search history (including Victoria’s Secret and Puma), and 6 apps collect information on sexual orientation (Showniq – AI Stylist Của Bạn, Nike SNKRS: Shoes & Streetwear, Instreet, Boots TH, Pantaloons-Online Shopping App, and Zalando).

Among these apps, 24 share photos (including Adidas) with third parties, 2 share sexual orientation (Showniq – AI Stylist Của Bạn and Pantaloons-Online Shopping App), and 1 app (Myntra – Fashion Shopping App) shares health information.

The highest number of data points are collected and shared by the most popular apps from customers in Oceania (15.9 and 8.7 data points, respectively), Europe (14.2 and 9 data points), and North America (12.3 and 8.1 data points).

The most popular apps by valuation, i.e.: Nike, H&M, The North Face, Adidas, Victoria’s Secret, Moncler, Under Armour, PUMA, Levi’s, and UNIQLO US, on average collect 14.4 data points, and share an average of 8.5 data points from the following categories: location, personal info, financial info, health and fitness, messages, photos and videos, audio files, files and docs, app activity, web browsing, app info and performance, and device and other IDs.

Notably, 2 out of the 10 most popular apps are also found among the 10 most data-collecting apps. Nike and H&M collect 18 data points each and are tied for the 7th most data-collecting app with 4 other apps.

These apps share a concerning amount of personally identifiable and otherwise sensitive data with third parties, including email addresses and phone numbers, for the purposes of advertising or marketing.

“While we understand that some of these data points are collected to improve the shopping experience or process orders, some seem to go beyond what’s necessary to provide the service. This is especially concerning given the presence of some questionable data-sharing practices and the increasing number of data breaches. Collected data, including sensitive information, might end up in the public domain in the aftermath of a breach. We urge consumers to be cautious about the data they share and call for greater transparency in app data-collection practices”, – underlines Darius Belejevas, Head of Incogni.

Incogni’s researchers used the rankings provided by AppMagic (in the Shopping: Fashion & Beauty category) to find the most popular apps in 59 countries. For each country, they noted the top 10 popular free apps in the category for the year 2023.

App names and their rankings were noted on December 18th. Our researchers separately identified the top apparel brands by valuation,² filtering for those brands that offer apps facilitating purchases.

These brands’ apps were added to the list for investigation, bringing the total number of studied apparel apps to 180.

Incogni’s researchers went on to collect information found in the data safety sections of the Google Play Store pages of the identified apps.

The information was aggregated on country and regional bases for some analyses. Data collection from the Google Play Store took place on December 19th.

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The Verve 5.0 events are slated to hold at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos on October 29, 2022, with the grand finale to be held on November 5, 2022, at Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island.

The firm also announced that for the first time since the inception of VerveLife, the fitness event will make its debut in Nairobi, Kenya on October 22^nd, thereby giving fitness enthusiasts outside the shores of Nigeria an opportunity to partake in the stress-relieving, fun and fitness event.

The Verve Life event is an annual event held to encourage Africans to keep a fit and healthy lifestyle through fun and engaging activities.

This year’s Verve Life 5.0 satellite event train started from Uyo and moved to other cities including Asaba, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Benin, Ibadan, and Abuja, spreading excitement along the way.

Speaking on the forthcoming events, Cherry Eromosele, Group Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Interswitch Group, said beyond providing seamless and innovative payment solutions, Verve is also committed to growing a prosperous Africa and promoting fitness and wellness as a step towards achieving a prosperous continent.

She said “Since the inception of Verve Life, the event has grown to become one of Africa’s largest gatherings of fitness and wellness enthusiasts. Verve Life has expanded over the years and has morphed from a single event in Lagos to several activations across cities in Nigeria and now the event is debuting in Nairobi, Kenya giving it a truly pan-African outlook”.

Eromosele further said “Consistent with the Interswitch’s 20^th anniversary theme ‘Never Stop’, Verve Life fitness events have been truly enriching, engaging, and exciting and we are not stopping. Rather, we are committed to expanding Verve Life fitness events in the coming years. Participants will be treated to more fitness routines, music and entertainment by celebrity fitness experts and entertainers from across the continent. Our focus is to never stop creating exciting experiences that connect our customers with their passion points.”

International fitness expert billed to feature at the coming events are Alvin Lee and Nigeria’s celebrity fitness experts such as Kemen, Kaffy, Ihuoma Nwigwe, Isoken Uwaifo, Enoyong and Trebla among others. There will be musical artistes present to thrill the participants as they work out.

Partners of this year’s edition include global sportswear brand, PUMA, Amstel Ultra, Techno Gym, Hygeia HMO and Aquafina.

Verve cardholders, fitness enthusiasts and other members of the public are enjoined to get set for an exciting and rewarding experience at the upcoming VerveLife 5.0 events.

Registration is ongoing HERE.

Inaugurated in 2017 with the aim of encouraging a healthy lifestyle among Verve cardholders and fitness enthusiasts in general, Verve Life has quickly grown to become regarded as West Africa’s biggest fitness platform, attracting thousands of fitness enthusiasts from Nigeria and beyond each year.

Highlights of the Verve Life fitness platform include exciting workout sessions and dance routines led by renowned fitness experts and dance instructors, fitness challenges and immersive masterclasses on nutrition, mental health, and other related topics, all in addition to a multi-city train of satellite fitness events pan-Nigeria, touching over seven cities this year.

The collaboration with PUMA arose from both brands’ shared passion for fitness and is expected to numerous benefits for members of the VerveLife and PUMA communities including free PUMA merchandise, product discounts, access to exclusive events and brand equity consolidation, among other benefits.

Speaking on the collaboration with PUMA, Cherry Eromosele, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Interswitch Group, reiterated VerveLife’s focus on promoting fitness, healthy living, and wellness.

According to her “We are pleased to welcome PUMA on board as one of our partners for VerveLife 5.0. Last year, we successfully delivered an extraordinary event that left attendees demanding more. This year, we are set to up the ante, working with key partners like PUMA as we jointly advocate for a healthy lifestyle for Nigerians.”

Commenting on the collaboration with Verve, Ladun Bamgbose, the Marketing Coordinator of PUMA Nigeria said “This partnership allows PUMA to promote the brand in what is arguably Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest annual fitness event. We believe that fitness and sports have the power to transform and empower individuals and societies at PUMA, which is why Verve life 5.0 is an ideal partner for us as their ‘Never Stop’ theme aligns with our brand mantra, Forever Faster.”

Similarly, Tomi Ogunlesi, Group Head, Brands and Communications at Interswitch Group, said Verve’s partnership with PUMA underscores its determination to treat members of the VerveLife community to an enriching experience. He said, “The partnership complements our efforts to deliver the best VerveLife experience year-on-year, exceeding the expectations of our growing community.”

The buildup of events for VerveLife 5.0 kicked off recently, with satellite events in Uyo and Asaba. Other Nigerian cities billed to host VerveLife satellite events include Enugu, Port Harcourt, Benin, Ibadan, and Abuja, ahead of the highly anticipated grand finale in Lagos on 5^th of November.

The fitness event is also expected to make it debut on the Kenyan scene, with its first event in Nairobi scheduled to hold in October.

Beyond the provision of seamless, secure, and innovative payment solutions, Verve continues to support the lifestyle needs of Nigerians by nurturing their appetite for fit and healthy living.