Grocery Store "Smart Shelves" Will Identify Customers, Show Targeted Ads 274
cagraham writes "Snack company Mondelez International (maker of Oreos, Trident, Cadbury eggs) will introduce so-called 'smart shelves' into store checkout aisles beginning 2015. The shelves will use Microsoft's Kinect software, in addition to other tech, to identify shoppers age and sex, and will then use that info to deliver demographically tailored advertisements. The shelves will be able to track engagement, monitor how long customer's watch each ad, and offer discounts if a customer is considering a purchase (weight sensors will tell the machine if you pick up a product). Mondelez says the software will only use and collect aggregate data, and will not record any video or photos."
Re:OT: I'd love to see grocer cards banned (Score:3, Interesting)
Grocer cards: Ask the person behind you if they want the extra purchase credit on their card. You get the "discount", they get entered into the database. Everyone's happy!
Re:Could be good. (Score:4, Interesting)
Practically only Slahdotters ever think of technologically-targeted ads as a good thing. In polls, nearly 70% of the public oppose such practices:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/12/privacy-do-not-track-ads-internet-gallup-poll.html [latimes.com]