Tesco to scan UK shoppers for targeted advertising

Tesco

Tesco, which pioneered the tracking of customer behaviour with its Clubcard loyalty card two decades ago, said cameras built into the screens estimate whether a person is male or female and to which one of three age groups they belong.

Targeted advertising

Relevant adverts are then broadcast to screens in the checkout area based on these factors. "The ability to tailor content based on time and location means it can be extremely useful and timely for our customers," said Peter Cattell, category director for Tesco petrol stations.

More from News Analysis

To counter potential criticism from privacy campaigners the retailer stressed the screens do not use eyeball scanners, facial recognition or identify individual customers in any way.

It said no image or picture of customers is recorded or captured and nor is any personal data captured. Tesco, which trails France's Carrefour

Reuters