British retailer, Tesco, is set to scan its shoppers’ faces in order to tailor advertising to their age and gender.

Tesco is installing face recognition devices at its 450 petrol stations, says the technology’s developer, Amscreen.

The screens work by identifying whether a customer is male or female and which age group they belong to.

This will allow Tesco to target advertising, product offers, and other services more closely to the individual.

Customer recognition has been viable for a few years, but Tesco is the first major global chain to widely implement it.

Is this Minority Report?

Australian centres and retailers have been toying with other forms of instant customer research, such as accessing a shopper’s mobile data.

Adelaide’s Rundle Mall is one currently considering mobile tracking technology as part of its $30 million redevelopment.

“You would be able to see what’s entertaining people, where people are staying, what’s attracting them,” said Ian Darbyshire, CEO of Rundle Mall Management Authority to the ABC.

US department store, Nordstrom, is already testing location tracking instore, along with Family Dollar, Cabela’s, and British chain, Mothercare.

Privacy activists are skeptical and even outraged about the new technologies, and are questioning Tesco’s intentions.

“There’s a huge consent issue there,” said Nick Pickles of the campaign group Big Brother Watch to AFP.

“Scanning customers as they walk through the store without customers ever giving permission for them to be scanned in that way.”

Amscreen says its technology is non-intrusive but agrees the trend is a little like the Tom Cruise film, Minority Report.