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A Vancouver-based company is on track to introduce digital media screens in grocery stores and other retail chains that will get shoppers' attention using biometric technology.

The screens, which will enable tava to target consumers at the point of sale with ads - and also will use sensors and biometric face readers to conduct market research -  is already in select Whole Foods stores, according to the vendor Tava Touchpoints.

Now, the company says it is in active discussions with other chain retailers and is considering two marketing models: ad-based digital programming in which the company can deploy, operate and sell media time; and private retail networks in which tava will operate and manage content programming on behalf of the retailer.

Planet-Tek Partnership

Tava also has partnered with Toronto-based Planet-Tek Systems, which operates a network of shopper-focused ad screens in Canadian and US locations of Whole Foods Market. The collaboration is also using audience-measurement technology - sensors and automated biometric face detection tools to count shoppers who look at screens - developed by CognoVision.

Its measurement system, from Pulse Analytics Reports, provide audience analytics that break down how long people look, and parse the audience numbers by such things as time of day and gender.

Not Interested in Eyeballs

According to Tava Touchpoints President Alex Karch, the point is to hone as finely as possible marketing aimed at consumers at the store shelves as they shop. "We are not in the business of capturing as many eyeballs as possible," she said. "We are in the business of delivering compelling programming and relevant marketing that educates and entertains the consumer, and has a quantifiable impact for retailers through sales and shopper experiences."

As an example, the screens can deliver hyper-targeted advertising, such as ads for baked goods in the bakery department or produce ads in the produce aisle.

"If you're on a train and you see an ad for Pepsi, as good as it might be for brand exposure, it's not relevant," she says. "We're definitely not just in the business of capturing eyeballs," Karch added.