HSBC to analyse foot traffic in Aussie branches

HSBC Australia is set to analyse the behaviour of customers as they use its 35 branches nationwide under a three-year analytics technology deal.

The bank, which has most of its branches in NSW and Victoria, was revealed to have signed a three-year deal with Skyfii, an Australian-based provider of guest wi-fi services and visitor analytics software.

iTnews has confirmed the HSBC Australia deal will see Skyfii provide free guest wi-fi services in the bank branches as well as analytics software, which is known as Skyfii IO.

Registering to use Skyfii's guest wi-fi service typically means turning over "demographics, postcode and shopper preferences" data.

"This data can be used for visitor behaviour comparisons based on specific profiles and shopper preferences, providing invaluable analytics," Skyfii said.

Its IO product, meanwhile, is said to “combine physical data with digital data from wi-fi, mobile, point of sale, social, demographic and other sources” in order to understand how and why customers use a venue, and therefore market to them.

Skyfii's technology has previously raised concerns over the amount of data it collects.

HSBC’s use of technology aims to 'personalise and improve the overall experience' of visitors to its branches, Skyfii said in a financial filing.

An HSBC Australia spokesperson declined to provide additional detail on the project.