Big question
Can you prove a store visit without location data nobody can show consent for?
The position
A technically precise audience is not necessarily a lawful or durable one. Require provenance, consent basis, retention terms, sensitive place exclusions and deletion controls before you buy either the targeting or the visit metric.
Why it is live
The visit metric depends on precise location data bought from brokers, so its provenance is now an enforcement question rather than a procurement one. The FTC moved in May 2026 to ban a Kochava subsidiary from selling sensitive location data, and California's data broker deletion regime is operating.
The case for using visit products
ConventionThey are sold, bought and reported daily, the geometry is straightforward, and buyers have transacted on them for years.
The case against
UnknowableNo accredited local visit product could be found on the accreditation body's list, there is no independent evaluation of how accurate any of these products are, and the underlying supply is under active enforcement.
Where the weight sits
Against buying it on the vendor's word. The measurement risk and the legal risk point the same way, which is unusual and makes this an easy call.
What would change this
One visit product achieving accreditation with a published method, or a final order that sets a consent standard for location data used in advertising.
Where this is taught
Connected Local
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, Kochava subsidiary location data, 4 May 2026primary
- California Privacy Protection Agency data broker registry, 2026primary