In France, a bookstore chain has put a special camera in its shops. The system feeds a video stream to software which1shoppers' movements and facial expressions for surprise, dissatisfaction, confusion or hesitation. When a shopper walks to the end of an aisle (货架通道) only to2with a frown to a particular bookshelf, the software messages3, who then go to help. For the eight months leading up to this April, sales rose4a tenth.
The bookseller wants to keep its name5for now. Similarly，other French clients of the Paris startup behind the technology, Angus.ai, are6it in stores which are not open to the public. They7 airport owner Aéroports de Paris, the luxury-goods giant LVMH, and Carrefour, the supermarkets chain.
Simple video produces a lot of insights, but there are far more complicated ways of learning about shoppers'8. Thermal-imaging (热成像的) cameras9detect heart rates. Wirelessly collected data from smartphone accelerometers (加速度传感器) can suggest when shoppers become fascinated (movement stops) or are unhappy about10(a phone is raised to search for cheaper products online). For even more insights, shoppers are sometimes asked to put on special equipment, typically in exchange for a 11or reward of another kind.
All of this could be a(n)12, some say, for sellers to enjoy the advantage that big data has long given online sellers. A race is13to work out how best to14and use emotional data, thus improving packaging, displays, music, or the content and timing of persuading customers into buying goods.
Using technology is much less15than old-fashioned interviewing. Nielson, a consumer-research giant, charges around $10,000 to interview 25 shoppers about three products. Angus. ai's service costs just $66 a month per camera. Sometimes,16market surveys may ask the wrong questions. What's more, they can give misleading17. People typically change their responses intentionally to make themselves sound sensible,18purchases are often driven by subconscious (潜意识的) emotions.
One obvious19of shopping's emotional side is the idea of "retail therapy" — consumers driven to spend when they are feeling blue. Whichever store is the first to spot mildly20customers could make a fortune!
