Protecting Shoppers Privacy Opens Niche for Canadian Startup

As bricks-and-mortar stores increasingly follow the lead of online retailers, such as Amazon.com, in tracking shoppers buying habits through technology a niche has opened for companies to develop a system that protects consumers privacy.

Now for the price of a few modified Wi-Fi routers, store managers can track the pings and signals from the smartphones in the pockets of shoppers and get the robust data they need to know their customers.  But it comes at a cost — most notably, U.S. retailer Nordstrom Inc. had to cancel its in-store smartphone tracking at 17 of its stores last May after customers raged over privacy concerns.

Toronto-based startup Physicalytics Inc. is one company working to brand itself as an ethically sound alternative to more invasive competitors. “It’s not a secret anymore that stores are doing this. The important question is, are they doing it in a way that respects the privacy of their customers?” said Nathaniel Bagnell, Physicalytics co-founder.

Source: Financial Post; Read the complete article here.