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In-Store Sensors Track Trade Promotion Browsers

A consortium of major marketers is behind a 10-store test of infrared-sensor technology that measures the traffic in front of supermarket-aisle promotional displays. Consumer-products companies are using increasingly sophisticated displays to capture shoppers' attention right before they decide which product to buy. Figuring out the return on investment of these dollars isn't easy. Retailers have long counted the number of shoppers who enter and exit their stores, and they can use product bar-code data to track which items were purchased. But for consumer-products companies to analyze how well their in-store marketing campaigns worked, they need to know how many people walked past their promotional display but weren't persuaded to buy. Participants in the study hope the new measurement can also help to predict which aisles in particular stores get the most traffic. Members of the consortium include Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, 3M, Kellogg, Miller Brewing and Wal-Mart Stores. Before the system can be rolled out broadly, the group has to bring in a market-research firm to expand the study and determine how to apply the measurement to a bigger group of stores. Study organizers say the method won't invade shoppers' privacy, but say they'll proceed cautiously.

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