With Black Friday approaching, two American malls have incorporated FootPath Technology to aid with data collection. Path intelligence is a tracking system that works through a series of antennas, capturing identification numbers assigned to individual phones, much like an IP address, determining customer movements from store to store. Collecting this type of data will answer vital questions: How long do customers stay in a particular store? Which stores are complementary of each other? Where are the hot-spots and unpopular spots in the mall? Although personal data is not collected, customers are uneasy with their movements being tracked, especially in an age of skilled hackers.

FootPath is the way of the future. What many do not realize is their movements are already tracked by security cameras, heat maps, and undercover researchers within malls. The use of infotech will not only benefit sellers, but also buyers, by elminiating inefficient dead weight loss to society. Introduction of FootPath will maximize efficiency in terms of clumping complementary stores together for better sales and reducing walking distance by relocations. improving the mall experience. But beware customers, relocations as a result of FootPath implementation will be a long-term investment, rather than a short-term solution. If successful, FootPath could expand to urban planning. The possibilites are limitless.