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eBay has unveiled the world’s first emotionally powered shop in London, which uses clever technology to read emotional clues from shoppers to decide what they really want.
The shopping experience was thought of after eBay conducted research which suggested it takes 32 minutes before Christmas shoppers hit a “wall of disenchantment” and lose interest and emotional attachment to the gifts they are choosing.
To combat this, the e-commerce giant tried to make shopping a stress-free experience and teamed up with Lightwave, a US tech company, to create a smart system which has customers stand in a booth in front of a projection of a series of gifts.
The booth then analyses the shopper using facial recognition and biometric technology to help people decide which gifts they should be giving – allegedly ensuring the customer is emotionally connected with the product.
To do this the technology apparently detects muscular micro-shifts and correlates them with a series of complex emotional and cognitive states the software can recognise.
The products on display are from various brands and are all on sale from the eBay website, with donations from each of the items going to the company’s chosen charities.
The centrepiece is a 20 square-metre “Emotional Tapestry” which translates the real-time emotional spirit of shoppers in the store.
The unit was set up as part of Giving Tuesday a day where people around the world give to good causes.
