Reuters reports on brick-and-mortar retailers’ use of face scanners in an effort to improve such things as staffing, layout and marketing. Many businesses, aware of consumers’ reticence to be tracked, promise to only use the data in aggregate unless consumers give their consent. Shoppers are also increasingly asked to sign up for loyalty card programs that would allow the retailer to track them in exchange for discounts. “They are just trying to get real smart with data in the way the e-commerce guys are smart with data,” said the head of one tracking-device manufacturer. But the chief executive of a customer science company said, “Too much is happening without consumer consent.”
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