A beacon ‘up North, a beacon ‘down South
“No NFC iPhone for you!” would appear to be the message given out at last weeks Apple WWDC. However, there is evidence that the actual hardware may be upon us in September - especially if the updates and additions to the iOS 8 software are taken into consideration.
Location-based apps that automatically appear on the lock screen - thanks to geo-positioning as standard in the newly announced SDK (it was only discovered by developers after the WWDC had ended - Apple never even emphasised this important addition) as well as more emphasis on Beacon technology and iTouch security updates, point that Apple may indeed be ready to leap into the wild world of mobile wallet usage (payment, loyalty, couponing etc). So remain patient, all of you Apple fanboys (and girls) out there, something tells me the time of Apple payments may be upon us soon.
The age of the beacon (iBeacon?) certainly appears to be upon us - from the South to the North of England, merchants really do appear to be gearing up to use the technology. Sheffield’s Meadowhall is piloting a scheme using the technology for special shopping nights. The shopping complex had already announced that they were looking to increase their technology usage to help customers engagement with their in-house merchants. Working with technology start-up TagPoints, Meadowhall’s marketing team has developed the Meadowhall app, which, once downloaded, allows users to receive real-time discount offers directly to their phones via BLE beacon technology.
Not to be outdone by a shopping mall ‘up North’*, London’s Regent Street (run by The Crown Estate) have pulled out all the stops and announced that they, too, are calling on the street’s merchants to use beacon technology to engage better with visitors to the iconic shopping street. As well as the use of beacon technology there will also be a special Regent Street app that promises to deliver exclusive, personalised content to shoppers about what’s on offer during their visit to the stores on the famous street.
The app communicates with beacons in each store so that, as shoppers walk past, they receive alerts via Bluetooth about a range of things, from information about new products and upcoming events to exclusive offers only available to those shopping on the street that day. Using beacons is a new innovation which has only previously been trialled by a handful of retailers and by using Bluetooth this comes at no cost to the user.
The introduction of the app forms part of the £1bn Regent Street regeneration programme, which has already seen an array of internationally renowned brands like Burberry, J Crew and Cos open global flagship stores on the street. The app, which is free to download, will include information from the majority of Regent Street’s world leading retail line-up. “This is a fantastic example of how Regent Street is continuing to evolve as the world’s most successful shopping destination, bringing together online, physical and now mobile retailing to provide an experience which delivers across all of the platforms that appeal to 21st century shoppers, said David Shaw, Head of he Regent Street portfolio.
I can certainly understand why the idea of beacon technology is so seductive for mobile users. They basically don’t have to do anything (they don’t even have to touch a tag - QR or NFC) – ‘stuff’ comes to them. Perhaps this is the real allure of a mobile wallet. Less of the payment aspect and more of the other elements associated with a wallet. As Steffan Aquarone, CEO and founder of UK-based Droplet cheekily told the audience at last week’s ‘Mobile payments; Innovations, Opportunity and Risk’, held in Berlin, “There is no money in mobile payments. There IS money in loyalty, coupling and overall customer engagement.”
Until next week.
Steve Atkins
Contactless Intelligence
* To be clear - I am in no way suggesting that there is a special rivalry between Meadowhall and Regent Street - that would be silly. After all, Regent Street doesn’t even have an Asian style food-court!
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