[ttraub]

I don't see the privacy issue here. They're just measuring physical activity per quadrant. They can use it to study which products and product areas seem to be attracting the most interest. They specifically don't use photography or wifi that follows people around.

Although the vibration/light sensors are a somewhat novel idea, in the end a retailer already knows exactly what products are sold, in what quantities, which ones are returned, and (anecdotally at least) which ones spark the most questions from shoppers. It's not long in coming before UHF RFID chips will show the products being carried around the store (or out the back door, etc.).

Probably this system would be most useful for determining which products are "hot" and should be moved to an end cap or special display near the entrance. Or they might choose to "bury" the products to force shoppers to walk past tempting tangential items.

Retailing is a science, perfected over many decades. The lights, the music, even the aromas, all conspire to influence shoppers in ways that online can't compete with. I wonder if retail in fact will eventually find a formula to outcompete the online folks. (I'm still kicking myself for ordering a Pi Zero W online when I could have driven the same day to the Microcenter and picked one up.)

[zahma]

Maybe this particular system doesn’t do it, but Bluetooth beacons can identify you in conjunction with other device identifiers. And those things are accurate to the cm. If I bring my phone out at all, I tend to turn my wifi and Bluetooth off until I need it.

[ChuckNorris89]

>And those things are accurate to the cm.

As someone with bluetooth development experience, no they are nowhere nearly that accurate in real life. You can take your tinfoil hat off.

Not saying alphabet agencies or military contractors can't build Bluetooth triangulation devices with high accuracy, but most beacons in the retail industry suck major balls not just in specs but more importantly they're almost always installed by contractors who have no idea about RF (antenna position and materials of nearby objects matter a lot) so the data they receive is almost always garbage.

[technimad]

Some retailers already use RFID to track items around the store. They track the full journey of items around the store. Which items go into the fitting room together, which will be eventually bought, etc. Not to combat theft, but to optimize store display and advise given by store clerks. This tracking also allows for accurate inventory display online. A store is in effect a warehouse for the on-line channel.