System and method for capturing and evaluating customer behaviour data

A system for capturing and analysing customer behaviour data of customers influenced by advertising and/or information in supermarkets, DIY stores and other sales outlets, the system comprising:

• handheld scanners made available at the entrance area of the sales outlet for the customer to pick up and use during shopping, and for the customer to scan items picked up for purchase within the sales outlet,
• wherein the handheld scanners are each provided with a display to show the customer information such as the price or type of items purchased, and the handheld scanners store the scanned purchases with a time stamp, wherein each handheld scanner is provided with an electronically detectable and readable identification device, such as an RFID chip, in order to provide the handheld scanner with an individual identification,
• a checkout where the purchases stored in the handheld scanner are read out,
• further, display media arranged at selected locations within the sales outlet for visual, audiovisual or other display of advertising messages, further, sensors which are arranged at selected locations within the sales outlet, particularly at the locations of the output media, and which capture the identification of a handheld scanner entering their detection range, and
• a data processing system which controls the output media to output specific advertising messages in each case, which stores the purchases made by a customer that are read out at the checkout, together with the time stamps and with the identification of the handheld scanner, and which stores the presence of a handheld scanner captured by the sensors together with its identification and a time stamp, and which analyses and correlates the data in order to analyse the customer behaviour and optimize control of the output of advertising messages.

A method for capturing and analysing customer behaviour data of customers influenced by advertising and/or information in supermarkets, DIY stores and other sales outlets, the method comprising:

• providing handheld scanners with an individual, electronically readable identification,
• making the handheld scanners available at the entrance area of the sales outlet for customers to pick up and use while shopping, and for the customers to scan items picked up for purchase within the sales outlet,
• storing each purchase transaction together with a time stamp using the handheld scanner,
• reading out, from the handheld scanners, the purchases with the time stamps and the identifications of the handheld scanners at a checkout,
• arranging output media at selected locations within the sales outlet, and controlled output of advertising messages and/or information by the output media, the type and time of the advertising messages output by each output medium being stored,
• arranging sensors at selected locations within the sales outlet, and capturing handheld scanners entering a detection range of the sensors based on their identification, and storing the presence of a handheld scanner within the range of a sensor together with the identification of the handheld scanner and the capture time, and
• analysing and correlating the collected and stored data to assess customer behaviour and modify the output of the advertising messages accordingly.