Худалдааны стартап Phia компани түншлэлийн борлуулалтын шимтгэлийг шударга бусаар авах зорилгоор системээ ашигласан нь илэрлээ.
Фиби Гейтс болон София Кианни нарын үүсгэн байгуулсан Phia стартап нь “cookie stuffing” буюу өөрийн хүчин чармайлтгүйгээр хийгдсэн худалдан авалтаас шимтгэл авах үйл ажиллагаа явуулж байсан хэмээн буруутгагдаж байна. Bloomberg агентлагийн олж авсан Slack мессежүүдээс харахад, тус компанийн удирдлагууд энэхүү үйлдлийг өнгөрсөн оны 12 дугаар сараас хойш мэдэж байжээ.
Өмнө нь Phia-ийн төлөөлөгчид уг асуудлыг техникийн алдаа хэмээн тайлбарлаж байсан ч, шинэ баримтууд нь энэ нь тусгайлан боловсруулсан, хүссэн үедээ идэвхжүүлж болох функц байсныг нотолж байна. Энэхүү арга нь компанийн нийт борлуулалтын томоохон хэсгийг бүрдүүлж байсан бөгөөд үйл ажиллагаагаа зогсоосны дараа өдрийн орлого нь эрс буурчээ.
Nike болон Nordstrom зэрэг томоохон жижиглэн худалдаачид уг асуудалд өртсөн нь тогтоогдсон байна. Түүнчлэн Phia нь хэрэглэгчдийн хувийн мэдээллийг нууцаар цуглуулдаг, ажилтнуудынхаа тал хувийг алдсан зэрэг асуудлуудаар өмнө нь шүүмжлэлд өртөж байсан удаатай.
Тус компанийн төлөөлөгч Bloomberg-ийн зарим мэдээллийг үгүйсгэсэн ч, энэ явдлаас сургамж авна гэдгээ мэдэгджээ. Одоогоор компанийн зүгээс бусад хэвлэлийн асуултад тодорхой хариулт өгөөгүй байна.
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Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is once again under fire for its alleged business practices. The latest issue stems from earlier this year when Bloomberg published an investigation that mapped out how Phia was taking credit and commission for affiliate purchases it did not help to generate, known as cookie stuffing.
It’s a controversial practice that can get startups sued, mainly because it’s seen as taking referral revenue away from other affiliate marketers. Usually, when affiliate platforms like Phia sign on to work in a marketplace, they sign a contract stating that cookie stuffing is banned because it’s unfair.
When Bloomberg first reported on Phia’s cookie stuffing, a Phia spokesperson told the publication that the company was only made aware of the issue when Bloomberg reached out to them.
But new reporting by Bloomberg shows that Gates and Kianni knew their startup was cookie stuffing as far back as December, based on leaked Slacks and sources familiar with the matter speaking to the publication.
The latest reporting found that cookie stuffing made up a good chunk of Phia’s sales and the company saw a sizable drop in daily revenue once it stopped the practice. The outlet also gained insight into the affected retailers, including Nike and Nordstrom.
Back in early July, a Phia spokesperson referred to the cookie stuffing as a bug, but Bloomberg now reports that this was a purposefully built feature that could be switched on and off. The leaked Slack messages also show Gates and Kianni talking about cookie stuffing practices with other executives and engineers.
Regarding the new allegations, a Phia spokesperson told Bloomberg that it rebuffed some of the publication’s claims, but said the company would “learn from this.”
Phia did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Phia launched last April with the promise to be a more effective Google Flights-like site for shopping — helping users find the best prices across various retailers.
A few days after Bloomberg’s investigation in July, Puck also dug around and found that Phia lost almost half its full-time employees since the beginning of the year; that several brands were unaware that they were listed on the app; and that investors got the ick from how aggressively Phia was leaning into affiliate marketing. It’s also faced controversy in the past, like about how it was secretly collecting swaths of sensitive data, including tracking user behavior across the web and sending it back to their servers.
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