That can allow stores to deliver customized coupons to shoppers in real time on a digital shelf or on their cellphones, said Jon Nordmark, CEO of Iterate.The emergence of tracking technologies is bound to raise concerns about privacy and surveillance.Wisconsin-based bicycle retailer Wheel and Sprocket uses Scanalytics sensors - which can be tucked under utility mats - to count the number of customers entering each of its eight stores to help schedule staff. With Wi-Fi - among the earliest available options - businesses can follow people when they connect to a stores internet. "That sort of makes or breaks our profitability."Kegel wants to eventually have sensors in more areas throughout his stores to measure where customers spend most of their time and what products are popular, but he said its too expensive right now."Something that in the moment will increase their propensity to purchase a product," said Scanlin, 29, who started developing the paper-thin sensors that are 2-square feet (0.With Scanalytics, Nordmark said, "to have (the sensors) be super useful for someone like a retailer, they may need to power other types of things," like chair pads for sale sending coupons to customers."In a couple of years this kind of conversation will be like part and parcel of everyday life."If thats helping the retailer as far as tracking what sells and what no, I think its a good idea," Lenon said.But its become easier for stores to track customers in recent years.The cost of having the sensors ranges from $20 to $1,000 per month, depending on square footage and add-on applications to analyze data or interact with digital signs, Scanlin said. Based on data collected over time, the floor sensors can tell a retailer the best time to offer a coupon or change the display before the customer loses interest.19-sq. For instance, the sensors read a customers unique foot compressions to track that persons path to a digital display and how long the person stand in front of it before walking away, he said. But retailers make up the majority of Scanalytics customers, highlighting one of several efforts brick-and-mortar stores are undertaking to better understand consumer habits and catch up with e-commerce giant Amazon.The sensors can also be used in office buildings to reduce energy costs and in nursing homes to determine when someone falls. yet, but its only a matter of time, said Ghose Anindya, a business professor at New York Universitys Stern School of Business. meters) as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2012. Another is that its not possible to tell whether someone is inches or feet away from a product.Jeffrey Lenon, 47, who was recently shopping at the Shops of Grand Avenue mall in Milwaukee, said he wasnt bothered by the idea of stores tracking foot traffic and buying habits."Thats our biggest variable expense," said co-owner Noel Kegel. Companies such as Toronto-based Vendlytics and San Francisco-based Prism use artificial intelligence with video cameras to analyze body motions. But I dont think were there yet," he said.These technologies have not become ubiquitous in the U. He employs about 20 people.Sunglass Hut and fragrance maker Jo Malone use laser and motion sensors to tell when a product is picked up but not bought, and make recommendations for similar items on an interactive display. One drawback is that not everyone logs on so the sample size is smaller. But Scanlin noted his sensors dont collect personally identifying information.. He said hes working with 150 customers in the U.Physical stores have been at a disadvantage because they "dont have that granular level of understanding as to where users are entering, what theyre doing, what shelves are not doing well, which aisles are not being visited," said Brian Sathianathan, co-founder of Iterate.ai.S.ai, a small Denver-based company that helps businesses find and test technologies from startups worldwide.Online clicks give retailers valuable insight into consumer behavior, but what can they learn from footsteps? Its a question Milwaukee-based startup Scanalytics is helping businesses explore with floor sensors that track peoples movements. and other countries and estimates that about 60 percent are retailers.S.Scanalytics co-founder and CEO Joe Scanlin said thats what his floor sensors are designed to do