Robohub.org
 

Marketing service uses facial recognition tech to estimate gender, age, and visiting frequency


by
12 November 2012



share this:
12-0209-r

NEC has developed a marketing service that utilizes facial recognition technology to estimates the age and gender of customers, and accumulates the data, along with the dates and times that customers visit stores. This data is then used to analyze trends in customer behavior and visit frequency.

This service is provided in Japan via NEC’s cloud computing technology, only requires a regular PC and video camera, and is available for approximately $880 (70,000 yen) per month per store.

“This service is mainly intended for retailers that have several stores. It provides retailers with customer attributes based on facial images. That information is helpful for sales strategies.”

This service can also detect repeat customers across multiple stores. It uses a face detection and comparison engine developed by NEC, called NeoFace.

“NeoFace ranked top in tests by the USA’s NIST. Here, we’re using this high-precision facial recognition technology in a marketing service. But NEC is also developing various other services, such as intruder surveillance, using facial recognition technology.”

Face data is encrypted in real time and converted into characteristic data sets for analysis. Because face data can’t be restored from characteristic data, there’s no risk that face data will be inadvertently disclosed.

“Retailers can find out how many customers visit their stores at each time of day, and what customers’ attributes are. This enables them to fine-tune their sales strategies. For example, the data could be used to run campaigns targeting men and women in their 20s.”



tags:


DigInfo TV is a Tokyo-based online video news platform dedicated to producing original coverage of cutting edge technology, research and products from Japan.
DigInfo TV is a Tokyo-based online video news platform dedicated to producing original coverage of cutting edge technology, research and products from Japan.

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

How to teach the same skill to different robots

  11 May 2026
A new framework to teach a skill to robots with different mechanical designs, allowing them to carry out the same task without rewriting code for each.

Robot Talk Episode 155 – Making aerial robots smarter, with Melissa Greeff

  08 May 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Melissa Greeff from Queen's University about autonomous navigation and learning for drones.

New understanding of insect flight points way to stable flapping-wing robots

  07 May 2026
The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify.

Robotically assembled building blocks could make construction more efficient and sustainable

  05 May 2026
Research suggests constructing a simple building from interlocking subunits should be mechanically feasible and have a much smaller carbon footprint.

Robot Talk Episode 154 – Visual navigation in insects and robots, with Andrew Philippides

  01 May 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Andrew Philippides from the University of Sussex about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation.

Ultralightweight sonar plus AI lets tiny drones navigate like bats

  29 Apr 2026
Researchers develop ultrasound-based perception system inspired by bat echolocation.

Gradient-based planning for world models at longer horizons

  28 Apr 2026
What were the problems that motivated this project and what was the approach to address them?

Robot Talk Episode 153 – Origami-inspired robots, with Chenying Liu

  24 Apr 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Chenying Liu from University of Oxford about how a robot's physical form can actively contribute to sensing, processing, decision-making, and movement.



AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.02 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence