Beacons Revolutionizing The Retail Industry: Know How

by Joseph Ricard Director

There was a time when people in the retail industry used to talk about marketing targeted on local search but by staying alert at the same time. Now, cut to a few times later, we have the retail industry ready to benefit from location-focused marketing faster than ever.

Now, you might wonder what caused such a supersonic movement? Well, the precise answer is beacon technology in retail. To put it into perspective, here is a small example.

Say for instance you enter a store and spot a beautiful red dress that you start to examine. At the same time, you hear a beep from your phone. You unlock your screen to see that the exact same dress is available at a discount especially for you online.

No, this is not a scene out of a sci-fi movie but this is the power of technology and the long way it has come. Rather a lot of major retailers are using beacon technology. With this, your shopping experience will be more seamless than ever.

With the technology’s help, business owners are able to create a better interactive experience for their customers in a more integrated environment.

Now, it is only natural to doubt the technology but let us warn you- please don’t. You have no idea how powerful beacon technology is for your business. According to shoppers, 70% were encouraged to finalize a purchase through triggers via beacon devices.

A Brief About Beacon Technology

The technology was first brought into the scenario by none other than tech giant Apple in the year 2013. They are tiny Bluetooth devices that are designed to notify smartphones based on the proximity of location.

This is known as iBeacon and requires the user to have a specific app installed on their devices to trigger the services of the beacon. This is how iBeacon is used in retail as well.

One can use beacon technologies to send promotions, discounts, exclusive offers, and other promotional alerts to customers when they are present in the store.

Here’s how retailers are using beacon technology to bring about a revolution in the retail industry.

Track The Pattern Of Consumers In-Store

One of the most effective ways to provide a close-knit and incredible shopping experience to your customers is via smart beacons in retail stores.

It helps in analyzing the movement of a consumer in-store and delivers information on their phones based on their patterns. This can actually help in more conversions as who does not love a little exclusive experience?

Imagine how it feels when you are about to buy your favorite food and at the same time you get a message saying here’s a special “20% discount” for your favorite bagels. Incredible right?

That is exactly what beacon technology does after studying a customers’ in-store movements. Not only that, but it can also encourage them to buy more than they actually planned to.

One such beacon technology retail example is Macy’s and they have been using it across their stores ever since 2014. Whenever someone switches to the app in a Macy’s store, the beacon immediately determines the location and sends him/her personalized alerts.

Act As An In-Store Guide

It is actually very annoying to have a salesperson follow you around the store and breathe over your head. But, at times you seem to wander aimlessly looking for a representative to guide you around the store.

Also, a lot of customers will actually not execute the task of finding a sales rep and just exit the store sighing “Whatever, I don’t need it.” This is actually a very bad thing to face as a company.

It’s like snatching food away from the cat’s mouth and you end up with scratches. Lol! Anyways, beacon technology can help you fight this problem.

The best proximity marketing beacons reads a customers’ location in the store based on their GPS location and guides them throughout the place.

Different stores have different functions for their retail apps but all of them are equally useful.

More Targeted Marketing and Engagement

One of the most amazing things about beacon technology is the accuracy it can bring around in your marketing strategies. In a world where everything is digital, the narrower and specific your target list is, the better are your conversions.

It helps in creating more specific, precise, efficient, and direct strategies to provide your customers with more fruitful results.

Communication is a major part of every business and beacon technology in retail surely enriches the whole experience.

Beacon Technology Beckons Better Conversions

Setting up smart beacons in retail to send out adverts and offers to consumers while they are scanning the shelves of a store is a great way to push up those conversion rates.

Also, the user data that is collected through the beacons can help you in creating more targeted and precise ads.

With this, you will see your conversion rates skyrocketing at a rapid rate.

Better And Bigger Loyalty Programs

Beacon technology can also help in creating better and larger loyalty programs especially if you are targeting the youth of our generation.

This is because this age group spends a vast time on their smartphones and uses the same for a variety of functions.

You can put this beacon technology to use and build a loyalty program based on mobile users. This also encourages users to take action and spread the word about your brand.

With the current situation around, this is perhaps the perfect time to incorporate the benefits of beacon technology into your business.