A growing number of stores are deploying video cameras, motion detectors and other sensors – some hidden, some overt, but all doing more than merely monitoring aisles for shoppers.
Increasingly, whether customers realise it or not, this technology is being used to study consumers for behaviour, shopping and product preferences, and other insights that will lead to more marketing opportunities and increase sales, according to The New York Times. Other technologies, primarily in-store digital signs, are also being used for more than their original display intent.
Last month the US-based Center for Democracy & Technology issued a set of privacy recommendations for the digital signage industry. According to the report, "Unless the digital signage advertising industry adopts strong self-regulatory guidelines, it is likely to face consumer backlash and reactive government regulation that may stifle innovation."
(Source: Retailer Daily)