[Am-info] Video System Tracks Customer Behavior

[Erick Andrews]

On Mon, 14 Jan 2002 11:58:25 -0500, Fred A. Miller wrote:

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>This is intrusive, boys and girls.....a beginning of "NASTY" stuff to 
>come!
>
>Fred
>
>Video System Tracks Customer Behavior
>
>With the wide array of clickstream data-analysis tools 
>available today, online stores can tell who comes to their Web 
>site, what products they look at, how long they stay, which 
>promotions they respond to, what they buy, and how many
>leave without making a purchase. Brick-and-mortar retailers, 
>however, are largely limited to analyzing transaction data, 
>leaving them in the dark when it comes to understanding their 
>customers' shopping experience.
>
<snip>

Like "cookies" and "buglets" from the Web.

Not only is it intrusive, it clearly shows that they either don't
know how to offer help or are afraid to ask the customer what 
he wants.  I thought that face to face service was the advantage
that brick and mortars have had over the Internet.

Why can't they just spend the money on helping the customer,
you know, "Are you being served"?  or some such.

I must be old fashioned.  What happened to the suggestion box?
Will this really help the "returns" line?  Doubtfully.

Feature this:  let's get a couple of dozen guys dressed in drag
and pay their store a visit for an hour to animate any sales
staff that may still be there!

-- 
Erick Andrews