Sci-Fi Supermarkets

The sci-fi movie Minority Report depicts a future where shoppers are bombarded by electronic advertisements as they walk through the store. Machines scan the shoppers’ eyeballs to identify them, then specific ads are targeted directly at each person.

It’s kind of cool, kind of scary, and it may not be that far off. The grocery store of the near future may combine behavioral targeting with WiFi, radio frequency identification chips, robotics, and other new technologies.

We already see some behavioral targeting in stores. If you have one of those discount cards (or “loyalty cards”) on your keychain, the store can track your purchases and target promotions toward you. Word of Mouth commentator Garen Daly has been looking into what he calls “sci-fi supermarkets,” and he tells us how stores are planning on taking that to the next level.

Garen is host of the Frugal Yankee website and radio show, which can be heard live on WNTN in Newton, Mass.

(Photo by Andrew Walsh)