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Macy's tests location-specific store discounts using Apple's iBeacon (video)
The Bluetooth-based iBeacon feature in iOS 7 is theoretically ideal for retailers -- they can offer location-sensitive deals without having to track shoppers using GPS. We're about to find out how well it works in practice, as Macy's has just started testing Shopkick's iBeacon-derived ShopBeacon service in a closed beta. Stores in New York's Herald Square and San Francisco's Union Square now carry transmitters that send discounts and recommendations to participating iPhone users when they pass nearby. Whether or not Macy's offers the feature to the public will depend on the success of the trial, but it may not be long before your favorite store is more than eager to greet you.
Shopkick rolls out iBeacon feature shopBeacon at Macy's flagship stores
I can't speak for the rest of you, but ever since Apple showed off iBeacon technology, I've been waiting for the day that I can walk into a retailer and have my iPhone recognize it. Thanks to Shopkick's new shopBeacon transmitters at flagship Macy's stores on the US coasts, customers will get a chance to experience it for the first time. Shopkick announced today that the new iBeacon feature is live and ready to ping your iPhone with notifications about store deals, customer recommendations and, of course, Shopkick-specific rewards as soon as you set foot in the retailer. As shoppers move between departments, the app will provide additional information about specific products and produce reminders about items the user has "Liked" in the past. OK, so it's basically a really smart version of a department store circular (with a dash of Minority Report), but at least someone is finally getting some use out of iBeacons. But not me, because I'm based out of the Midwest, where apparently we're not ready yet for the latest tech.
