Kairos launches biometric facial recognition solution for retail stores

Jul 10, 2019 | Chris Burt

Kairos has launched a plug and play data visualization and analytics solutions with biometric facial recognition for retail stores to gather demographic and tracking information on customers.

The new Kairos Camera starts at $99 a month, can be installed by the customer within minutes, and provides data on customer age, gender, emotion, dwell time, and new and return visits. Retailers receive analysis and key insights through a custom analytics dashboard, and staff receive alerts by text, email, or phone call when VIP or loyalty program customers enter the store. The Camera also integrates with point-of-sale and inventory management systems to provide a complete view of customer data.

“Shoppers are demanding more meaningful in-store experiences and retailers can only keep up with those expectations with accurate data about how their stores perform,” says Kairos CEO Melissa Doval. “The Kairos Camera can provide physical stores with data on actual customers in their stores. In-store analytics are the most powerful metric that allow a brick-and-mortar retailer to maximize their growth.”

The company says retailers can use Kairos Camera to examine data at each stage of the customer journey, from browsing through checkout, to help them optimize and plan product offerings. Facial recognition can potentially bridge the gap between the data online and offline stores have about what customers are buying, according to the announcement.

“We make it easy for retailers to measure customer data at thousands of locations with a deployment rate and installation cost unmatched by competitors,” adds Kairos COO Mary Wolff.

The Wall Street Journal reports that shopping centers are already using facial recognition to track, though not identify, individuals as they shop. The technology is used to analyze traffic patterns and consumer reactions to displays and marketing.

Retailers have been collecting data from mobile phone apps to determine where customers live and target them for advertising for about three years, according to the report.

Several companies are operating in the market space, but the roll out has been slower in the U.S. than in China, seemingly due to privacy concerns. “I’m a big believer in ‘convenience beats privacy,’” Remark Holdings CEO Kai-Shing Tao told the Journal.

The Journal reports that retailers have been testing facial recognition systems identifying customers, but have been hesitant to publicize their findings so far.

Kairos also recently launched a new facial recognition product for the hospitality industry.