Smooth retail projects with facial recognition from SenseTime, Popcom, Solmate are ramping up

By Margaret N. Yarbrough On Dec 22, 2021

A number of companies around the world have stepped up their “smooth” retail payments and marketing efforts with biometrics and computer vision in the final weeks of 2021. PopCom launches its PopShop vending machines in various US cities, and Hivestack is partnered with Solmate in. received Taiwan, and SoftBank supports SenseTime facial recognition in Japan. Compass Group UK & Ireland also announced that it will partner with AiFi to open its first â€œsmoothâ€ one-place shop in early 2022.

SenseTime Japanese facial recognition deployments are expanding

SenseTime was revealed as the facial recognition provider behind a test of payment technology at three Tokyo Wendy locations through a license to Softbank’s mobile unit, reports Nikkei Asia.

Softbank’s Vision Fund is the second largest shareholder in SenseTime with a 14.9 percent stake in the China-based company. SenseTime has decided to restart an IPO in Hong Kong, with a quartet of institutional investors claiming two-thirds of what the company’s top shareholders could potentially reorder.

Japan Computer Vision (JCV), another subsidiary of Softbank, is also using SenseTime’s biometric technology for pandemic access control systems in restaurants, gyms and offices, writes Nikkei. JCV also supports PopID, which provides its PopPay to process payments using SenseTime’s facial recognition.

A JCV official told Nikkei that all customer information is stored in Japan and will not be shared with the Chinese government, and that SenseTime’s placement on the US company list does not prevent companies in Japan or America from using its technology.

SenseTime also supplies autonomous driving technologies to Honda Motor, based in Japan.

Public use of facial recognition technology in Japan remains controversial as Nikkei finds that the country’s largest rail operator, JR East, ceased operations in September following public backlash.

Popcom launches vending machines in the United States

PopShop’s vending machines use facial recognition to help retailers collect demographic information from individuals.

Machine learning is then used to deliver targeted content, while blockchain technology helps secure user identity verification and regulated product sales.

Thanks to these tools, the vending machines can enable small business owners to determine if a location is a good fit for their brand while also realizing who the right customer is in real time.

According to PopCom founder Dawn Dickson, the company already has 20 customers in the US selling different types of products and plans to launch more vending machines in the coming months.

Hivestack and Solmate Media are partners in Taiwan

Hivestack is a Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) ad tech company. Partnering with the DOOH network Solmate will enable companies to provide brands with the ability to programmatically purchase and activate DOOH inventory.

Companies will do this by leveraging Hivestack SSP through Open Exchange and Private Marketplace (PMP) deals.

Solmate offers high quality digital screens with built-in face recognition and has placed 6,000 in hair salons across Taiwan.

The partnership is reportedly the first of its kind in the Taiwanese market and will be instrumental in driving the accelerated adoption of programmatic DOOH in the country.

“We are very excited to partner with Hivestack in Taiwan and look forward to expanding our DOOH presence in the local market,” said Yaw Ren Tsai, CEO of Solmate.

“By leveraging Hivestack’s market leading technology and our network of premium DOOH screens, we can raise awareness of the DOOH programmatic channel and better connect with the global marketplace.”

Compass Group cooperates with AiFi

The shop is scheduled to open in Ireland in early 2022 and will use AiFi’s artificial intelligence (AI) -based computer vision technology to enable customers to purchase items in-store without queuing or stopping to scan or to pay.

The customer only has to check in when entering the shop, computer vision cameras then track him anonymously and place the selected items in a virtual shopping cart.

As soon as this is done, customers simply leave the shop and receive a receipt directly on their mobile phone. The Compass Group made it clear that the system does not use biometrics or facial recognition.

In the course of 2022, additional locations are to be opened in the UK, including units with other corporate customers as well as in the areas of sports, leisure and defense.

Article Topics