Japanese retailer Uniqlo will trial new headset technology designed to match shoppers’ mood with their clothing choice at stores in Sydney and Melbourne.The UMood wearable tech is placed on the forehead of customers, who are then shown a series of still images and videos, with their neurological reactions providing a brainwave reading – Uniqlo scores this against an algorithm that will then suggest a T-shirt from its range.
Invented by Japanese company Dentsu Science Jam, Uniqlo states the brainwave sensing tech utilised in UMood “has uncovered a correlation between certain frequency bandwidths in brain activity and particular states of mind”, enabling these states to be distinguished as combinations of particular brainwave frequencies and graded on a scale using an algorithm.
“The algorithm quantifies five states of mind: these are interest, like, stress, concentration and drowsiness, which grades brain activity data on a scale against these states before recommending a T-shirt through a points-based system to best match that mood,” Dr Phil Harris, Nuro consumer neuroscientist and honorary fellow from the University of Melbourne, who has been working with Uniqlo to launch the technology
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in-store, commented.
“We’ve seen neuroscience infiltrate the way our advertisements are put together and which advertisements make it onto TV, so it was really only a matter of time before leading brands, such as Uniqlo, built this into their in-store experience. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and showcases how neuroscience is influencing how major brands now operate and market themselves.”
Uniqlo Australia marketing director Tracey Lang noted that “every day we express our mood through what we wear”.
“We’re excited to be the first retail brand in Australia to experiment with this kind of technology and enable a new shopping experience for our customers,” Lang commented.
UMood will be on display at the following stores:
10-11 October, 10am-3pm: Uniqlo MidCity, Sydney
15-16 October, 10am-3pm, 4pm-8pm: Uniqlo Miranda, Westfield Shopping Centre, Miranda
17-18 October, 10am-3pm: Uniqlo Parramatta, Westfield Shopping Centre, Parramatta
24-25 October, 10am-3pm: Uniqlo Emporium, Melbourne
