Biometric technology in retailing: Will consumers accept fingerprint authentication?

Biometric technologies are currently being tested by retailers to determine their applicability to business operations. Generally, the benefits of biometric systems relate to improved speed, more secure transactions, and better information management; however, such technologies also present retailers with the problem of protecting consumer privacy. This paper concentrates on one form of biometrics that is most often being tested by retailers-fingerprint authentication at point-of-sale. The purpose of this paper is to determine how readily this specific biometric technology will be accepted by consumers. Findings presented in the paper indicate that there has not been strong support by consumers. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.