Your favorite store could soon be keeping track of your purchases and your feelings.
TIME fills us in on how Ulybka Radugi, (a top Russian cosmetics chain) will soon be using emotion recognition software to customize ads and offers for its customers.
Pairing with Synqera, a marketing tech firm, Ulybka Radugi plans to place a Synqera Simplate device at the checkout counter. The device will scan customers’ expressions at checkout; and then send those expressions to a database to be analyzed. In addition to having the scan read, the database will also review the customer’s purchase history and preferences by accessing the customer’s loyalty card.
The goal of this technology is for Ulybka Radugi to create custom ads for its customers based on how the consumer is feeling. After the Simplate analyzes the expression of the customer, it can generate a specific message that is dependent on the customer’s mood as well as their preferences. These ads can then be offered in store and through other social media or email.
A spokesperson for Synqera explained the basics of the system: if a woman’s face is scanned and she is not smiling, the system, (with the help of her loyalty card) can see what products she frequently purchases. The system will then suggest a product that might cheer her up. For example; if she usually purchases body care items, the system may suggest that she try a soothing body oil or lotion in order to relax her or improve her mood. The Simplate device can also display a funny picture or some other sort of discount or bonus to elevate the mood of shoppers.
While this campaign is focused on Russian women who shop at Ulybka Radugi, Synqera is expanding further and opening a New York based office. With this global expansion, we could potentially see Simplates in the U.S. very soon.
What are your thoughts? Would you want your picture snapped and analyzed every time you make a purchase?
To learn more about Synqera and its Simplate be sure to read PR Newswire’s article Russian Retail Chain, Ulybka Radugi, to Debut Synqera’s Customer Personalization Technology
For a related topic check out our blog Holiday Spending- Emotions and Shopping
I think at first it would be more suitable to measure overall ’emotional atmosphere’ in the shop just to make it more comfortable. Ulybka Radugi is a low cost cosmetic chain (something like small cosmetic wallmart) with not very polite shop assistants. It appears that the implementation of face recognition system is a try to cover up the managing problems.
Mikhail – Thank you for your comment. You make an interesting point about overall comfort and customer satisfaction should be a company’s number one concern.