Map customers path using in-store Wi-Fi network

Unlike other retailers, Nordstrom (a fashion speciality retailer), wanted to learn more about its customers like how many came through the doors, how many were repeat visitors. The company started testing new technology that allowed it to track customers' movements by following the Wi-Fi signals from their smart phones. Nordstrom's experiment is part of a movement by retailers to gather data about in-store shoppers' behavior and moods, using video surveillance and signals from their cell phones and apps to get information as varied as their gender, how many minutes they spend in the candy aisle and how long they look at merchandise before buying it. If a consumer looks for Wi-Fi network, a store that offers Wi-Fi can pinpoint where that particular shopper can go and get Wi-Fi connection within a 10-foot radius. Stores can also recognize returning shoppers as mobile devices send unique identification codes when they search for networks. This means stores can now tell how repeat customers behave and the average time between visits. Read more at-http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/business/attention-shopper-stores-are-tracking-your-cell.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0/