Shoppers movements get tracked

The eyes in the sky are using mobile phone signals to track shoppers’ movements in order to gauge consumer trends, according to a recent source. The UK high streets and Princesshay Shopping Centre in Exeter in particular have been first to enable the technology, which has been popular in the USA for a while, and has also come under fire from customers due to persmission not being asked before the tracking scheme was implemented.

Consumers in the Princesshay Shopping Centre stated that the small yellow signs were too difficult to see, which explained that the area was being used for tracking trends. The Path Intelligence technology has been used in the shopping centre, and claims it is already widespread across the UK, and state that if consumers wish to not partake in the program they can simply turn off their mobile phone to stop the signal. Lobbiests are angered as there is no permission asked and claim that people will feel like their are being followed without knowledge.

The research of consumer trends gives an idea of consumers’ movements from shop to shop through a device located in each shop, and this means that shopping patterns can be monitored. The tracking firm states that it is a tool used to enhance customer service and explains how effectively the shopping centre is being used. No personal data is taken or stored, as it merely links up the phone signal that passes the device within the shops and relays the information to the central processing unit.

Customers of the shopping centre are outraged and claim that they should not need to switch off their mobile phones if they want to opt out of the research, and it could mean that customers will shop elsewhere in the future. The Path Intelligence CEO assures shoppers that there is no way the information invades personal information or affects their privacy as it merely shows the signals as dots around the shopping centre.