PerceptIn, a visual intelligence company, has created technology that combines artificial intelligence algorithms and a tiny camera to create a module that tracks customer reaction to advertisements and products in the real world.

The PIVTM tracking module enables advertisers and brands to create in-store customer profiles and improve the effectiveness of offline advertising. It connects product information to customer profiles and can determine the age, gender and other characteristics of a mobile vending machine’s offline customers to optimize supply chain and deployment strategies.  

“If it’s a vending machine or billboard, we can track the gender, the age, and the emotion of the customer who viewed the advertisement,” said Shaoshan Liu, founder and chairman of PerceptIn. “This allows brands to understand who’s buying their products in terms of the age group and gender group.”

The technology can determine the elements of the advertisement that grab the most attention, turning the data into reports that help marketers determine the success or failure of a campaign.

Consumer privacy restrictions require removing specific data before crunching the numbers and transmitting the data. The raw image is processed locally before it is turned into data and the statistical information is sent to central servers. It is done this way to protect the privacy of the individual viewing the ads.

Most of PerceptIn’s clients, such as a milk tea vendor in China, use the technology in Asian markets, but the plan is to introduce the concept into the Los Angeles and New York markets.

Late last year, PerceptIn introduced what it calls the location-based DragonFly Intelligent Advertising Vehicle, which provides a digital DOOH advertising experience to drive brand awareness. This “mobile showrooming experience” can capture unique insights on consumer engagement with new products.