"As we look at the next frontier, what we need to ask ourselves: Is the price we're paying for a highly personalized experience worth it, or is it spanning over into a creepy zone?"
About Bolseth: With about 20 years of experience in the software industry around the Twin Cities, Bolseth came to Jingit last spring as its chief operating officer. She was promoted to CEO in October, taking the reins from Jingit's co-founders.
Personal file: Bolseth runs a few half-marathons a year and has done triathlons. She lives on a hobby farm in Cologne, Minn.
What's big in 2015: Jingit, an Edina firm with about 30 employees, is one of several companies trying to tap the power of smartphones to help drive sales and marketing. But as it does so, it is keeping customer privacy top of mind and is working to be transparent in how it uses customer information. When Jingit first launched several years ago, it started off paying consumers to watch ads. But it has since expanded by paying them back when they make certain purchases — a sort of digital rebate that consumers can redeem through an e-gift card. In 2015, Jingit plans to expand by embedding directly into retailers' websites and apps.
Final word: "We all know that consumers want to save money and they want to do that through personalized experiences. … But they also want to do so in a way that is protecting their privacy."
KAVITA KUMAR
