RichRelevance, an expert in ‘experience personalisation’, has published its fourth ‘Creepy or Cool’ survey asking consumers to rate several different technologies and trends as either ‘creepy’ or ‘cool’.
The annual survey – which was answered by 2,577 respondents across the UK, France and Germany – produced the following lists.
Top 5 ‘creepy’ technologies according to UK customers:
- Emotion detection technology that adapts your shopping experience depending on your mood (57.98%)
- Facial recognition technology that recognises your preferences (56.83%)
- Retailers know when you’ve been paid (56.45%)
- Voice assistants within your home (Amazon Alexa, Google Home) are ‘always on’ and listening, providing product suggestions based on your conversations (56.35%)
- Targeted ads on your phone based on your proximity to certain shops (45.56%)
Top 5 ‘cool’ technologies according to UK customers:
- Fingerprint scanning to purchase items from the shop floor (50.05%)
- Using voice-recognition technology to search for products (46.32%)
- Smartphone apps that show product information, display videos, or even flag where desired items are located (40.97%)
- Virtual reality goggles that simulate store aisles in your own home (40.59%)
- Digital screens / interactive mirrors / virtual reality glasses in dressing rooms (35.63%)
Henrik Nambord, VP Sales EMEA for RichRelevance, said: “This year, the technologies which customers have branded ‘cool’ are those that increase convenience or improve the customer experience, online and offline, with an appropriate trade-off against their privacy. However, it is clear that UK consumers still do not fully understand AI. As such, not only do retailers need to be transparent about how they use AI, but also emphasise its benefits – primarily its ability to make the customer shopping experience more memorable than ever before.”
