A beacon is hardware device which
uses Bluetooth low energy to seek out specific, integrated apps and send
relevant messages to shoppers' smartphones as they pass by the
beacon. The purpose is to help retailers drive traffic and
sales.
If a beacon is placed in a clothing store it may allow the retailer, clothes brands, or marketers to wake up
their previously installed app and deliver a relevant and possibly personalized
message to consumers as they walk thru the
store.
Think about a fashion app that you may have downloaded to
your phone six months ago and completely forgot that you downloaded. Now, you
walk into a store that has a relationship with that particular app. As you walk
by the beacon, it creates a connection to your app and sends a store coupon to
your mobile device. Rather than you opening an app for the store you entered,
the beacon automatically finds that you have the app and sends you a message.
This can potentially be helpful to consumers as well as the
store.
Let’s use the example of an imaginary fashion store located
in New York City called “Apparel Search Boutique”. Using the assumption
that you are super clever, you had downloaded the Apparel Search Boutique App to
your smart phone the moment your leaned of the app. A year has passed, and you
finally found the time to travel to NY to visit the amazingly trendy Apparel
Search Boutique flagship location. Although you forgot that you downloaded the
Apparel Search Boutique fashion app, you are automatically sent a great list of
discount coupon codes as you pass the in store beacon.
The technology is "potentially transformational" because of
its ability to wake up apps and re-engage consumers who may not remember to open
up the app every time they come to the store.
As the technology becomes mainstream, the goal is to have the
messages personalized for each consumer to further improve the shopping
experience.
inMarket / iBeacons
If you have thoughts, knowledge, or questions about this
retail technology, please share your comments.
Learn more about fashion apps
and fashion industry technology here on Apparel
Search.
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