RFID to predict your shopping mood

RFIDWeblog
Posted: Sep 19, 2006

Now RFID would predict consumer behavior. NTT DoCoMo has come with an RFID system for predicting behavior of the customers while they are at showrooms, shopping malls and amusement parks and this information would be used for offering them targeted marketing messages.

While the customers would be visiting the shops RFID tag is send to the server from their mobile which is followed by running of software and prediction as to what the customer is doing and relevant information is sent to them as per their requirement.

DoCoMo has explained its concept with an example:

A consumer who is searching for a pair of shoes visits shoe shops A, B and C. The server guesses that this is what the consumer is doing on the basis of the RFID tags it receives from shops A, B and C and then sends the consumer special offers from shop D which they have yet to visit. The service even offers coupons for restaurants and coffee shops to consumers when it deems they must be getting tired from visiting shoe shops A, B, C and D!

At present the company has no plan for a roll out but it would be testing the system at a shopping mall in Yokohama between 13 -16 September.

On the first count I think whether customers would give their permission for these advertisements and if they do they could certainly gain as they would get to know the "best offers" and it would also save their precious time, on the other hand it could generate good business for a number of shops. Seems to be a good idea, lets see how far it goes.