Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Tracking retail customers while shopping in-store.
Brickstream is a funky-cool tool that allows retailers to track the physical path of multiple customers through their retail stores. Analyzing these browsing/buying paths (much like a click-stream analysis on a Web site) then gives retailers the ability to find out what parts of their stores are least (or most) frequented. They also get information about where gridlock seems to most happen, or customers happen to linger the most.
According to a trusted source, the company plans to add biometric recognition, that in theory, could be tied to a credit card or loyalty card transaction. This in turn will allow the retailer to track the browsing patterns of in-store buyers, and allow for more targeted offers through direct mail or e-mail.
This all sound a bit too big-brotherish? Watch Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report for a visual depiction of such technology.