AUSTIN, Texas -- A provider of platforms supporting the use of beacon technology announced it will give away a million Bluetooth-wired devices to store operators interested in exploring their use, with officials believing that convenience stores have as much to gain as other channels.
ShopX, an Austin, Texas-based developer of the beacon retail platform, said the move was meant to encourage beacon use in retail workforce management and to enhance the customer in-store experience.
"For convenience stores, beacons and Wi-Fi can monitor what's happening in store," said Phil Ellett, CEO of ShopX U.S., Austin, Texas. "It works off a rule-based engine, so supervisors can write their own rules. If a line forms at checkout that's more than three minutes long, it can dispatch a person with a text or voice message via mobile phone or wearable device."
Similar dispatches can occur when the coffee bar needs cleaning or a roller grill needs restocking, Ellett told CSP Daily News. "The manager has situational awareness of what's going on in the store."
In addition to operational uses, beacons can also communicate messages to customers' phones when they're in the store. C-store chains like Flash Foods, Waycross, Ga.; Spinx Co., Greenville, S.C.; and Chevron, San Ramon, Calif., are all testing the use of beacon devices.
ShopX's free Bluetooth beacons will communicate with both Apple and Android devices and will allow retailers to deploy the firm's marketing component of the platform to reach customers. The software is also being offered to retailers for free, officials said.
In terms of cost, Ellett says it will typically involve a monthly fee, which will vary depending on the complexity of environment. "A large electronics store, for example, would require lot more beacons and coverage than a 7-Eleven," he said, noting retailers can use $100 per store per month as a base.
On the rationale behind giving away a million Bluetooth beacons, Wayne Kyle, ShopX founder and CEO, said, "This for us is an investment in infrastructure. There is so much more to beacons than just pushing ads, coupons and offers to shoppers."
Through indoor navigation and mobile, retailers can dramatically improve their bottom line through improved operations and better customer service, Kyle said. Customers can get instant access to in-store assistants and enjoy other online-shopping benefits while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.
"It's like Uber for customer service," said Kyle, expecting to enable at least 100,000 retail outlets on the ShopX beacon platform through this offer.
According to ShopX officials, the most compelling part of the ShopX platform for retailers is not the beacon marketing component, but rather the mobile enterprise tools. ShopX will provide everything a retailer needs, including hardware, to put devices or wearables in employees' hands and facilitate personal communications, employee tracking, tasking, scheduling, training and inventory control.
ShopX provides platforms as a service (PaaS) to offline retailers. It provides hardware, software and infrastructure that enables mobile communications and workforce management on the retail floor.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.