Buycott.com

Last updated
Buycott.com
Buycott Inc.
IndustryTechnology, social activism
FounderIvan Pardo
Key people
Maceo Martinez
ProductsConsumer advocacy software
Website buycott.com

Buycott.com is an Internet-based platform and smart-phone application created to read the Universal Product Codes (UPC) barcode on a product and suggest whether a consumer should buy or avoid that product based on how well it aligned with the consumer's values and principles. Consumers could join various Buycott campaigns to indicate their support or their opposition to various issues and topics. The app advised them about purchasing from corporate entities - and their affiliates - that endorse policies which conflict with those campaigns. The consumer could thus "vote with their wallet", and opt to purchase a competing product, or forgo the purchase altogether. [1]

As of March 2023, the latest update to the app was on the 21st of October 2016. [2] The latest social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were all also before the end of 2016. [3] [4] [5] The latest update to the Terms and Conditions page was in December 2015. [6]

Buycott.com was launched to encourage Corporate Social Responsibility, prior to the point of purchase, and raise awareness that consumer purchases have real-world consequences. Buycott claimed to have a database of over 150 million product UPC tags as unique product identifiers [7] [8] , containing all sorts of consumer products from foods to cosmetics to services such as restaurant chains and hotels. Buycott.com also queried consumer activists for scanned product information when the database was missing product descriptions or other information. Each campaign's database relevancy and success was dependent upon the membership's participation. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Braddock, Greta (28 February 2014). "Good shopping: 6 apps that help buyers give back". Tech Page One. Dell.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014. Buycott — "Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles."
  2. ↑ "Buycott - Barcode Scanner & QR Bar Code Scanner". App Store. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  3. ↑ "Buycott App on Facebook". Facebook . 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "@buycottapp". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  5. ↑ "@Buycott on Instagram".
  6. ↑ "Terms of Service | Buycott". www.buycott.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  7. ↑ "UPC & Barcode Lookup Database API | Buycott". www.buycott.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  8. ↑ O'Conner, Claire (14 May 2013). "New App Lets You Boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart". Forbes. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2019. Burner figured the average supermarket shopper had no idea that buying Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper or Dixie cups meant contributing cash to Koch Industries through its subsidiary Georgia-Pacific.
  9. ↑ Godfrey, Mary (18 March 2013). "App of the Week: Buycott". Technology Review. ABCNews. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2019. The information, however, is only as accurate as a company's public data—corporate structures and priorities change. To that end, its success will depend, in part, on users and how involved they are in staying on top of that information.
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