With the evolution of technology come many new opportunities for businesses to improve their business model to become more productive and profitable. Tesco PLC, a retail chain based out of the United Kingdom, has adopted new method of gathering intel on their customers by unifying business and information technology. They have partnered with a company called Amscreen which has created a camera embedded digital screen which analyses customers’ faces to profile them according age and gender.
Using this technology program called “OptimEyes”, Tesco takes information provided by the camera, along with the time of day and the products the customer is buying, to determine about which advertisement to project on the screen as they wait in line. This form of targeted advertising is similar to “something out of Minority Report” says Amscreen CEO Simon Sugar.
While targeted advertising is an effective method to become more productive as a company, this program has been under scrutiny by the public feels their privacy has been violated. Although Tesco claims that facial images are not stored and the technology does not personally identify customers, they struggle with the challenge of trying to be a profitable company while abiding by the ethical behaviour.
Picture: Digital ads in Tesco’s gas stations