Asics invests in UK startup Aura Vision

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 4, 2019

Japanese footwear manufacturer Asics has taken an equity stake in London-based startup Aura Vision, which provides in-store analytics for offline retailers.

The investment was made through Asics’ Ventures Corporation, a subsidiary established by the the shoe firm in 2016 to support the growth of startups and benefit from new technologies.

Led by co-founder and CEO Daniel Martinho-Corbishley, Aura Vision uses existing security cameras to detect and track in-store traffic. With their proprietary technology, the startup is able to segment footfall based on age, gender, and other demographic factor without using facial recognition.

The insights can be used to understand where customers spend their time while in-store, measure product engagement and uncover opportunities for operational improvements.

Aura Vision says it complies with GDPR rules as individuals are never personally identified. Founded in 2017, the startup was in Y Combinator’s winter 2019 cohort, receiving support from one of America’s best ranked seed accelerators.

The system, described as “Google Analytics for physical retail stores” might launch in standalone Asics shops in the future, as the brand said it will consider its use.