The Pokémon Company is introducing a facial recognition system at its stores in Japan as a new measure to combat ticket scalping and ensure a more secure shopping environment for all customers. This system, along with updated entry and purchase regulations, is designed to prevent individuals from reselling limited stock at inflated prices.
According to new guidance from The Pokémon Company, the facial recognition system will verify customer identities. The only exemption will be for children under elementary school age, up to six years old. The primary goal is to enforce a one-time entry and purchase limit per day. If the system detects that a person has entered the store more than once in a single day or has received multiple entry tickets, entry will be denied based on the system's alert.
Participation in this system and agreement to the rules are stipulated as conditions for entering the stores. The company has stated that the collected facial data will not be retained indefinitely and will be promptly deleted after a specific period. This initiative represents another attempt to address the persistent issue of scalpers in the trading card hobby.
This approach is not entirely unprecedented within retail. Gundam stores, for instance, employ a similar facial recognition system to enforce limits on purchasing exclusive merchandise. The Pokémon Company hopes this method will be more effective than previous strategies in distributing popular stock to a wider range of consumers. The system's implementation follows challenges with online platforms, such as long queues and difficulties with multiple pre-order attempts due to site issues. .