Marketing 5.0

CHAPTER 10Contextual Marketing: Making a Personalized Sense-and-Respond Experience

In 2019, Walgreens began testing smart coolers that combine cameras, sensors, and digital screen doors to display the products inside as well as a personalized advertisement to shoppers. While the technology does not recognize faces and store identities for privacy reasons, it does predict shoppers’ age and gender. The fridge uses facial detection to deduce the demographic and emotions of a shopper approaching the cooler door. It also utilizes eye-tracking and motion sensors to gauge the shopper's interest.

By combining these insights with external information such as the weather or local events, the AI engine can select specific products and promotions to push on the screens. The refrigerator also tracks what the shopper picks and recommends another matching item once the door is closed. As you might expect, it collects lots of data about shopper behaviors and which product packaging or campaign works.

The smart cooler system—provided by Cooler Screens—has brought multiple advantages. Walgreens has seen growth in traffic and purchases in stores that have it installed. The chain also gets additional revenue from placed ads. Moreover, the technology allows quick changes in prices and promotions for experimentation purposes. It enables brands to monitor stocks as well as get feedback on their newest campaigns.

This sort of dynamic advertising and contextual content model is not new in the digital ...