Retailers to Track Purchases Now

Big name brands, like Victoria Secret and Wal-Mart, are now thinking of placing trackers in clothes that people buy. Though their intentions are good, it could mean trouble and drive business away.  A few Americans feel it would be an invasion of privacy, while others think it would be a good sales tactic.

Retailers are about to get up close and personal with their consumers.  At least, in the clothing aspect that is.  In the future they hope to place little tracking tags in all things clothes. This will help boost sales and help entrepreneurs learn exactly what their customers want in general.

According to the Wall Street Journal, New York City is the biggest spending state out of all the U.S.  States.  It was down 7.7% in luxury spending alone for the quarter. That has a lot of businesses concerned. Granted the economy isn’t like it used tobe, but they believe it is due to lack of consumer appeal.

The trackers will allow retail owners to see how long an item was looked at, the quantity purchased, color, size, and what tastes and designers people like compared to the competition. The trackers can even tell retailers, what sells in distinct regions and what doesn’t. For instance, a study showed that people in the south were more prone to buy and wear white, green, and pink. While in Los Angeles the colors white, grey, and black are a favorite.

The idea for the trackers came up starting with the internet. Many internet businesses flourish because of new web technology. Online business owners can download a program that allows them to watch their consumers every move without their knowledge. It doesn’t show any personal information to the owner, just what they like, how long they looked at a specific item, and how many they purchased. The business owners know what drives their businesses and what doesn’t because of this.

Another hopeful promise for retailer owners is that it will help to stop or completely stop theft. Stopping theft all together is wishful thinking, but it could diminish it greatly. With the trackers in place, store owners will be able know the date and time it was stolen. Therefore they can review their cameras and report the theft to the police. If a stolen item is returned to the store for money, the retailer will know.

There is no set date yet, as to when these little trackers will be placed. Or which retailers will be the first to try them out.