Richard Hirata

Title: Innovations by Richard Hirata

Introduction

Richard Hirata is an accomplished inventor based in State College, PA (US). He holds two patents that focus on analyzing shopper behavior and brand strength in retail environments. His work has significant implications for manufacturers and retailers seeking to enhance their product offerings and marketing strategies.

Latest Patents

Hirata's latest patents include a method and system for at-shelf brand strength tracking and decision analytics. This innovation analyzes product strength by determining shopper decision behavior during shopping trips. By aggregating decision data across many shoppers over time, it generates analytics regarding the strength of a product or brand. The analysis can provide recommendations to manufacturers or retailers on how to strengthen their products or brands. The system utilizes cameras and mobile signal sensors to recognize shoppers and track their behavior, allowing for the estimation of demographic information about the tracked shoppers.

Another notable patent is focused on brand-switching analysis using longitudinal tracking of at-shelf shopper behavior. This method analyzes shopper switching behavior over multiple shopping trips to generate a shopper behavior profile. The aggregated profile data can be used to provide insights into how to influence shoppers to switch to a brand from a competitor or to prevent switching to a competitor. Similar to his other patent, this system also employs cameras and mobile signal sensors to track shopper behavior and fuse visual and mobile signal trajectories with Point of Sale (PoS) data.

Career Highlights

Richard Hirata is currently employed at Videomining Corporation, where he applies his expertise in shopper behavior analytics. His innovative approaches have contributed to the company's mission of enhancing retail analytics through technology.

Collaborations

Hirata collaborates with notable colleagues such as Jeff Hershey and Rajeev Sharma, who contribute to the development of advanced retail analytics solutions.

Conclusion

Richard Hirata's contributions to the field of retail analytics through his patents demonstrate his commitment to innovation. His work not only enhances understanding of shopper behavior but also provides valuable insights for manufacturers and retailers.