Retail biometrics to improve security, convenience, privacy showcased at NRF

Biometrics continue to make their way into the retail space. A partnership between Keyo and Mashgin is giving shoppers a high-tech streamlined shopping experience without tracking their entire bodies. Corsight AI’s facial intelligence software was also showcased at the National Retail Federation’s annual trade show for its customer care and anti-shoplifting capabilities. Tulip has announced the release of Tulip Pay. Telpo and Tencent have released biometric palm payment systems.

Keyo Wave palm reader to be integrated into Mashgin’s self-checkout

Shoppers at AI self-checkout Mashgin stores can now pay by palm biometrics using the Keyo Wave, on display this week at NRF ‘24. The integration of the payment method gives a customer experience similar to Amazon’s Just Walk Out.

Keyo‘s hand scanner allows users to checkout without using phones, wallets, or credit cards. Mashgin users who use Keyo save an additional 15 to 30 percent of total transaction time compared to other payment methods. The median checkout time for Keyo users at Mashgin stores is under 10 seconds.

After becoming a member with Keyo, users hold their hand over the puck-sized palm reader to submit their payment.

Three months after Keyo’s payment was integrated, 10 percent of transactions at participating Mashgin stores used the method, according to the announcement. The payment method has a retention rate over 93 percent.

Implementing the combination of Mashgin and Keyo is less expensive than the remodeling required for Amazon’s Just Walk Out, the partners say. Because Mashgin uses computer vision to identify items being purchased at checkout, it avoids privacy concerns that come with Amazon’s tracking of customers in store.

Mashgin kiosks are already at over 3,500 U.S. convenience stores, sports arenas, airports, and corporate dining facilities. The kiosks use multiple cameras and computer vision to identify goods with up to 99.9 percent accuracy. There have already been 15,000 Keyo devices installed at stores around the U.S.

Corsight AI showcases anti-shoplifting software

Corsight AI has showcased what it calls its facial intelligence software at the National Retail Federation retail show. The software is designed to address shoplifting without affecting customer service.

Corsight’s biometric software identifies repeat customers and provides assistance when needed. It also analyzes footage to manage queues and maintain a balance between the number of customers and staff members available.

The system can identify shoplifters who are known offenders and those who are not. It alerts security in real time and is able to adapt to new theft patterns. Corsight’s software is compatible with already existing camera systems and can reliably perform even when utilizing poor video quality, limited camera angles, and outdoor environmental factors.

Tulip Pay, Telpo K8 terminals and Tencent WeChat palm pay devices

Tulip announced the launch of Tulip Pay, a payment integration powered by Stripe, for in-person retail transactions. Tulip clients can use the method to close out in-store, curbside, and reserve online, pick-up in store transactions.

Tulip Pay will use Stripe Terminal, a set of developer interfaces, card readers, and logistics management tools so businesses won’t have to turn to as many vendors. It accepts more than 100 payment methods and integrates with Tulip POS. Tulip utilizes MFA authentication.

Biometric terminal provider Telpo has created a self-service terminal with palm payment integration, the Telpo K8.

Telpo K8’s palmprint module as well as the Telpo P105 Palm Verification Terminal has liveness detection and uses an RGB and IR dual-lens camera. The Telpo P105 is a 5.5-inch palm terminal that allows contactless payment.

Meanwhile, in China, Tencent‘s is rolling out its palm scanning payment service in China, according to CNN. Weixin Palm Payment is a biometric system that was launched for Weixin Pay back in May of 2023. Its sister app, WeChat, recently added a palm payment feature.

Tencent has been rolled out in 1,500 7-Eleven stores in Guangdong, while 2,000 users at the Supermonkey gym chain have signed up to use the palm scanning feature to check in and out of the workout facilities.

The biometrics payments market is projected to be valued at $5.8 trillion by 2026, according to Goode Intelligence.

As more people sign up to use such features, the increasingly widespread use of biometric scanning in retail raises security concerns among some privacy advocates.

“When your personal information is hoovered up at a huge scale, that creates a kind of honeypot for cybercriminals. And if that information is obtained illegally, it can then be sold on the black market and it can cause you enormous problems,” Edward Santow, industry professor of responsible technology at the University of Technology Sydney told CNN.

Article Topics

biometric payments  |  Corsight  |  face biometrics  |  Keyo  |  NRF  |  palm biometrics  |  retail biometrics  |  Stripe  |  Telpo  |  Tencent  |  Tulip Pay