• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 13, 2015

Austin, Texas — Beacons marketing are a growing tool for many retailers. But, as with other digital devices/platforms, there are considerations about privacy — even those consumers more likely to use it.

Speaking at an a panel OMMA at SXSW, Daniel Gutwein, director of retail analytics at Intel, says: "You use to walk into a retailer and talk about privacy. And they would say, 'Millennials, they don’t care about privacy.’ Well, I don’t really think that is true. Most of them would be shocked about how much we really knew, including shopping online."

Still he adds: "When it comes to the in-store, you can get a lot of data without invading anyone’s privacy.” 

For example, Gutwein's says his company is launching a “smart antenna”, where technology is attached to actual clothing as it moves around the store. This helps because "I can understand a lot what is happening in the store, without focusing on the individual.”

Gutwein's says another technology his company is working with can understand all the path movements of customers and others in stores “by pulling people [data] out of it.”