We know that retailers are using AI-powered cameras to track our movements in the store. They measure how long we pause in front of certain products. This is called “dwell time.” However, the capabilities of this new surveillance technology go far beyond just tracking our path. The AI is now analyzing much more subtle and personal information. It is building a detailed profile of who we are and how we feel as we shop.
Your Estimated Age and Gender
One of the basic functions of these AI systems is demographic analysis. The cameras can analyze facial features to make an educated guess about a shopper’s age range and gender. This demographic data provides a powerful tool for retailers. Stores use this information to better understand their clientele and to tailor their product selection and marketing more effectively.
Your Emotional Response
This is one of the more futuristic and potentially unsettling capabilities. Some advanced AI systems now claim to analyze a shopper’s facial expressions to determine their emotional state. The AI looks for subtle signs of happiness, frustration, or confusion as you interact with a product or a promotional display. This “sentiment analysis” gives the retailer real-time, unfiltered feedback on the effectiveness of their store design.
How You Interact with Products
The AI is not just watching where you go; it is watching what you do with your hands. It analyzes how you pick up a product, how long you hold it, and whether you take the time to read the label. This detailed data on your physical interaction with an item gives the retailer clues about your level of interest. It also reveals your decision-making process at the exact moment of consideration.
If You Are Shopping Alone or in a Group
The AI system can also identify whether you are shopping alone or with other people, such as a partner or children. It analyzes the size and composition of your shopping group. This information is valuable because these different types of shopping trips have very different behaviors. A parent shopping with a child, for example, is much more susceptible to different impulse buys than a person on a quick, solo trip.
Your Level of Engagement with Displays
Retailers spend a huge amount of money on their in-store promotional displays. The AI cameras provide a direct way to measure if this money is well spent. The system can track exactly how many people stopped to look at a specific end-cap display. It also measures how long they engaged with it. This data tells the store which of their marketing efforts are successfully capturing customer attention and which are being ignored.
The All-Knowing Store
The use of AI-powered video analysis is transforming the retail environment. Stores can now collect a massive amount of data about our subconscious behaviors. They can learn more about our shopping habits than we may know ourselves. While this technology can create a more efficient and personalized shopping experience, it also raises major questions about our personal privacy. The grocery store aisle has become a real-world laboratory for the study of the human mind.
How do you feel about stores using AI to analyze your behavior and your emotions while you shop? Does this technology seem helpful or invasive to you? Let us know!
What to Read Next
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- 10 Public Behaviors Now Being Monitored by Smart Tech
- Why Are Shoppers Taking Photos of Other People’s Carts?
- Did You Know Some Grocery Stores Will Price-Match Even After You Leave the Store?
- What Are These New Grocery Surveillance Carts Really Tracking?
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