NEC and Macromill Team Up to Offer Better Market Analytics with Biometrics and AI

NEC and Macromill are launching a new consumer insight marketing service that will help retailers make better product and marketing decisions based on information that can’t be picked up from a traditional customer survey. The service will be delivered via Macromill’s D-Profile AI analytics tool, using more robust data sets that are developed with the help of NEC’s biometric technology.

Central Location Testing is one of the major features of the service, using biometric technology to track consumer behavior in a simulated retail environment. In layman’s terms, that means that Macromill will recreate and stock store shelves at their own private facility, while NEC’s eye-tracking and EEG readings will take note of the items that draw people’s attention. The test is designed mimic an actual shopping experience to gauge people’s natural reactions to various packages and products and the visibility of those products on store shelves.  

The results offer a more complete understanding of conscious and subconscious consumer habits, especially when coupled with Macromill’s more conventional data sets, which include discrete information like age, gender, and purchase history.

“What’s so exciting about this collaboration is that we will be able to provide more refined insight into consumer activities enabling our clients to customize their marketing to their exact needs,” said Macromill Representative Executive Officer Toru Sasaki.

“Through this collaboration, NEC and Macromill seek to create a society where each consumer can benefit from more tailored services and pursue a richer life,” added NEC Senior VP Osamu Fujikawa. 

NEC and Macromill first began working together in April of 2018. NEC’s gaze-tracking technology is adapted from its facial recognition tech, which has recently been deployed in airports and ATMs.

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March 14, 2019 – by Eric Weiss