Emotions on the move: Customer tracking technology contributes to sales success

There is no doubt that car sales teams have been eager to return to the shows, showcasing models that carmakers have been busy producing, while live events have been excluded from the agenda. However, when they return to showrooms and showrooms, old frustrations have hampered the provision of the perfect experience for visitors and clients.

Given how much money has historically been spent on physical activities and brand experience, understanding how the event went is crucial to assessing a project’s return on investment, especially when it comes to communicating the next big investment. Traditionally, brand experiences or event managers have found it difficult to understand the true impact of their events or investments in showrooms; feedback from delegates and customers was limited to repeated questionnaires after the exhibition – or nothing at all.

That’s about to change. New technology, which is on the road, promises to change the understanding in the automotive industry of the experience of visitors – attendance, interaction and positive feedback.

Emotion tracking technology is on the way

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and emotion recognition technology, the tool can measure real-world experiences, instantly and scale send information that accurately identifies people’s feelings at the moment. This is very important because visitors often like to be indoors. Our emotions are constantly changing in a stimulating environment, especially when booths offer demo versions of products or are highly interactive.

Given how much money has historically been spent on physical activities and brand experience, understanding how the event went is crucial to assessing a project’s ROI

Being able to understand exactly where and why people are thrilled when they browse the latest model or car entertainment, for example, is gold dust. Give people more of what they like, and you can establish an emotional connection between the brand and the visitor. Equally useful is the opportunity to review impressions that are not so well applied that they can be changed, discarded, or refreshed to provide visitors with a better time in this space.

So how does emotion tracking technology work?

It starts with setting up an array of cameras trained in a given space. Then it will be about capturing every life through the lens. Every visitor who passes through a certain place is monitored, regardless of whether he is talking to a team member or looking at the exhibited car. Sounds awful? Don’t worry. All captured data is anonymized, and any information that could identify a person is discarded. Thus, the software meets the requirements of the GDPR, leaving only demographic data and a very important idea of ​​consumer emotions.

How technology has overtaken the satisfaction survey

The technology offers two main benefits for car shows and car shows: a much better understanding of visitors ’emotions and optimization of physical space. Chips inside the cameras process the information received. Demographics – age, gender and so on. But the technique also records what a person feels by recognizing five expressions: happy, sad, angry, frustrated or excited.

What’s more, when someone’s reaction changes – for example, when they’re considering another product, or the background or floor of an exhibition space is switching – technology can capture that as well. Regardless of the level of interaction, data is transmitted to the dashboard. This allows users to select a time range for analysis. You can also filter data by specific emotions, gender, exact location, and other parameters.

Meanwhile, technology provides vital keys to the effectiveness of different parts of physical space. Perhaps it is clear that visitors prefer to work with car gadgets than to show upholstery; or the reaction to the setting on the first day was overshadowed by the response on the second day. Armed with such an understanding of the attention and emotion presented in the form of reports, the company can optimize its activities, experience or exhibition hall space virtually in real time. This entry represents a level of detail that was not previously available, and certainly surpasses the modest post-show satisfaction survey.

Applications for car trade

Over time, new technology will program more and more features. One day the understanding of artificial intelligence may even fall back into a smoother management experience.

Now the benefits include tracking visitor interactions with exhibits / stands / cars, tracking emotional responses to specific areas / facilities / vehicles, and the ability to test physical space based on visitor interactions and emotional responses. It can also be used in cars to assess the emotional response of consumers to various functions.

Car shows are often big budget deals, and the development of modern showrooms is no different. Investing in emotion tracking technology will be a key way to measure impact, optimize, and appropriately target the most engaged visitors. It’s really a way to translate people’s interaction with the brand into a higher gear.

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Automotive World Ltd.

Reese Calder is the Director of Business Development at Avantgarde

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