Public Intelligence

A screen on the I.B.M. Fashion Solutions Store display unit shows how biometric information is gathered. Photo I.B.M./New York Times.

Biometrics Take on a New Style (New York Times):

Here on the outskirts of Milan, I.B.M. is working on a way to mesh retail and technology that, if successful, will produce a new market for its technology and place biometrics — automated ways of recognizing humans based on physical or behavioral traits — in the forefront of retail marketing.

While retail biometric projects have been tested for more than five years, it has not managed to make the leap to large-scale implementation. Discussion has centered on ideas like linking somebody’s bank account to a reading of their eyes or fingerprints, which would speed up checkout time — appealing to some, downright disturbing to others, and not really an issue because the technology is not yet sufficiently refined.

The I.B.M. solution, at least at this point, involves tracking biometrics through a mini camera in a mannequin’s eye or placed somewhere in a store.

There are two tests going on in Milan, one for a fashion company’s flagship store and the other, in an electronics store. The clients have sworn I.B.M. to secrecy for fear of customer backlash, although I.B.M. promises that the data is collected only in aggregated form and cannot be traced to any individuals.

“We started with fashion because it is a creative and innovative industry, but it’s clear that people have to be educated so they know their privacy will not be compromised,” said Enrico Bozzi, the manager of I.B.M. Forum Milano, the department that developed the technology. “It is a question of changing people’s perception.”

While many companies are developing commercial uses for biometrics, including the information technology company Unisys in Pennsylvania, I.B.M. may be the first to create biometric applications that high-end fashion companies and other retailers can use to refine marketing. Most companies have been focusing on biometrics for security purposes, like employing iris scanners for access to restricted areas.

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Once shoppers can be tracked, the next step could be advertisements selected to match biometric triggers: A customer walks into a shop and a piped-in voice asks if the jacket she bought last time has been satisfactory and would she like to see something similar from a new line. (Tom Cruise’s character received the same treatment in the 2002 movie “Minority Report.”)

While none of the applications have been sold yet, “we’re not talking about the future, this is available now and ready to be deployed,” said Marco Fregonese, strategy and change leader for I.B.M. Global Business Services.

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