Macy's Brings Location-Based Deals Nationwide With Expansion of iBeacon
Implementation of location technology is just one example of Macy's new omni-channel improvements, which also include smart fitting rooms and enhanced apps.
Implementation of location technology is just one example of Macy's new omni-channel improvements, which also include smart fitting rooms and enhanced apps.
Macy’s is expanding the use of its shopkick ShopBeacon technology to all its locations nationwide. The mobile location-based technology, which is built upon Apple’s iBeacon, will be placed in departments throughout its retail stores and will allow users to take advantage of more personalized rewards and discounts.
The move follows a test run that Macy’s implemented during last year’s holiday season at its flagship stores in New York and San Francisco. According to the retailer, this is the largest implementation of iBeacon technology to date, with more than 4,000 devices.
Upon entering Macy’s stores, consumers will be alerted by nearby shopBeacons to open the Shopkick app. Here they will find deals specific to their location. By spring 2015, Macy’s plans to enhance the feature by tailoring offers by specific departments.
Because many companies – including RetailMeNot and Graceland – are still in their testing stages with iBeacon technology, it’s difficult to predict how the location technology will work for Macy’s, says Brian Hoyt, vice president of communications at coupon aggregator RetailMeNot.
“There’s always that image of Tom Cruise walking through the mall in Minority Report where people are like, ‘Hello Mr. Cruise, I know what kind of items you like,’ but beacon in general is in its early days,” Hoyt says.
The use of shopBeacon is just one omni-channel enhancement the retailer announced earlier this week. Others that have been rolled out recently include:
“This is part of the big trend we’re continuing to see of retailers moving away from analog marketing and into a more omni-channel digital experience,” Hoyt says. “Fifteen minutes into the launch of a promotion, you can get data and have a really good idea of how well things are going. That just shows the power of these new digital marketing channels.”
An interactive digital Macy’s catalog that promises to be the exact opposite of a bookbook and mobile wallets, which will store discounts virtually, are among the improvements Macy’s has planned for the near future.