08/10/2015
Target Piloting Beacon Technology at 50 Locations
There has been plenty of talk over the past few years about location-based marketing, focused especially around beacon technology. As the new technology slowly evolves from talk to deployment it is the big retail players that will have the principal impact on the solution's success.
Target is the latest national brand to begin piloting the still emerging technology. The retailer announced that it will be testing beacons at 50 select locations nationwide in the Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle markets.
“We’re excited to start using beacon technology to offer real-time, relevant content and services that can help make shopping at Target easier and more fun,” Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and mobile said on Target's A BullsEye View blog. “This is another way Target is bridging mobile and stores, and using digital to enhance the in-store shopping experience. We look forward to seeing how our guests respond to what we’ve built."
Shoppers that have the latest Target iPhone app that opt into the service will receive relevant product content and offers based on their specific location in-store sent directly to their smartphones. Currently only Apple iPhone users are able to participate in the pilot, but an Android version of the solution is on the horizon.
The retailer is also working on some advanced features for future incarnations of the technology including the ability to dynamically re-sort a customer's shopping list as they move throughout the store. Target developers are also working on a feature where shoppers can request assistance from an associate right from their phone, and a member of the sales staff can be deployed to their exact location.
Target is the latest national brand to begin piloting the still emerging technology. The retailer announced that it will be testing beacons at 50 select locations nationwide in the Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle markets.
“We’re excited to start using beacon technology to offer real-time, relevant content and services that can help make shopping at Target easier and more fun,” Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and mobile said on Target's A BullsEye View blog. “This is another way Target is bridging mobile and stores, and using digital to enhance the in-store shopping experience. We look forward to seeing how our guests respond to what we’ve built."
Shoppers that have the latest Target iPhone app that opt into the service will receive relevant product content and offers based on their specific location in-store sent directly to their smartphones. Currently only Apple iPhone users are able to participate in the pilot, but an Android version of the solution is on the horizon.
The retailer is also working on some advanced features for future incarnations of the technology including the ability to dynamically re-sort a customer's shopping list as they move throughout the store. Target developers are also working on a feature where shoppers can request assistance from an associate right from their phone, and a member of the sales staff can be deployed to their exact location.
