Business Spotlight: Perceive

Across all industries, big data is of increasing significance in improving company performance and efficiency. In the retail industry, big data is particularly impactful in providing insight to customer behaviors and satisfaction—keys to success in this sector. However, when it comes to collecting data, online– based retail is often at an advantage, as a result of social media, website tracking, and other methods to identify consumer behaviors. The notable advantage of online retail data collection, combined with the rapid increase in online consumerism, places stress and challenges on brick & mortar retail stores, when it comes to collecting data to improve performance and customer satisfaction.

In light of this growing truth, Everett Berry and a group of fellow Purdue graduates recognized a need and opportunity to provide missing data to brick & mortar stores, utilizing a resource nearly all businesses already employ to some degree: video surveillance. “After testing in 5 early adopters and doing hundreds of interviews, the team and I realized that many folks had business problems that they knew could be solved with cameras,” said Berry “the fact that most businesses have this great data source in video, just sitting there doing nothing, bothers the crap out of me.” With this in mind, now CEO Everett Berry and his team, began work on the underlying technology for a computer vision software, nearly six years ago. After receiving their first grant in 2016, the group formed Perceive.

So, what exactly does Perceive’s product do? In short, the startup’s camera system collects and analyzes anonymized data from real-time business surveillance, ultimately pinpointing teachable moments to the business, through a cloud-based platform. “The Perceive Vision Engine can measure traffic, analyze customer-employee interactions, speed investigations, find patterns for efficiency, and create security and safety alerts,” said Berry. These identifiable moments then assist businesses in improving sales tactics, customer service, customer satisfaction, production, and a variety of other elements, key to business success.

The combination of anonymity and simplicity gives Perceive an edge, in comparison to other data collection technologies. In an era where personal data and privacy are of increasing concern, Perceive has developed a platform, which evades these realities. Commenting on the privacy element of the software, Berry noted, “It’s totally anonymous – we don’t use any facial recognition or Wi-Fi tracking.” What is more, the simple and low-cost system can be installed by staff, without any wiring or complex setup. Berry acknowledges the often-overwhelming nature of data technology noting, “tech is just so out of reach most of the time that you don’t know where to begin.” This is where Perceive comes in, creating an ease in data collection, with rapid analysis and the convenient streaming of data, straight to a cloud-based app.

Recently relocating to Fishers from West Lafayette, Everett and his team now occupy 1000 square feet at the IoT Lab. Here they are continuing to commercialize their product, with the over $1 million in seed funding they have acquired, thus far. “At the start, it was all about the technology,” noted Berry, “but gradually we received interest from actual potential customers.” Since commercializing, Perceive has received wide spread interest from brick & mortar businesses including their premier pilot client, a Pandora Jewelry franchise. Now having an established technology, the increase in customer interest has Berry fixing his focus on sales and Perceive’s target markets.

Since Perceive’s inception in 2016, the startup has evolved to target a wide array of industries. Initially focusing exclusively on retail customer analysis, Perceive stumbled upon a general product that can help businesses across a wide variety of industries. “Whether it’s a retail floor team winning sale, a manufacturing team winning safety, or a marketing team winning engagement- our product lets people use video from their business to achieve their goals,” said Everett. “We are actively looking for retailers, manufacturers, museums, and consulting firms to partner with. Our customers have complex, people-based, physical operations and they have a hunch that their teams could use camera data to improve.” If you are interested in learning more about Perceive services, or are interested in using Perceive at your business, visit https://www.perceiveinc.com/  or contact CEO Everett Berry at everett@perceiveinc.com .