BOSSES of supermarkets, conference centres and museums will be able to find out more about their customers with the help of new business intelligence technology.

The 3dCRM (Customer Relationship Management) product was developed by York company Pepik as a non-intrusive method of monitoring people.

It uses location-aware technology to follow customers around a building.

In most cases, the sole requirement of visitors to places such as museums, art galleries, supermarkets or the gym will be to carry a mini-card during their visit. Their movements appear on a monitor on a map of the venue.

By studying the movements and locations of their customers, venue organisers can learn how long they stay, where they linger and what they ignore.

Pepik used a Smart (Small Firms Merit Award for Research and Technology) Feasibility award of £45,000 to design the technology.

It was helped in applying for the grant by Business Link York and North Yorkshire innovation and technology advisor Roger Benson.

The Smart awards, available from the Department of Trade and Industry, provide 75 per cent of eligible project costs for a technical and commercial feasibility study into innovative technology.

Mr Benson said: "This is a fascinating 21st Century monitoring product which can be anonymous, but at the same time provides museums, art galleries and the like with a mammoth amount of information."