LAVAL, Quebec & RICHMOND HILL, Ontario -- Without the need to have customers sign up or provide cellphone numbers, Circle K's Mac's convenience stores in Canada will soon be "pushing" messages to the phones of people walking or driving by their locations.
The key is Bluetooth wireless technology. People know Bluetooth as the wireless link to an earpiece that allows them to talk without having to hold the phone to their heads. Many people are unaware that the technology, which more than likely resides in their mobile phones, makes them "discoverable" by stationary devices. Those outside devices can "call" a mobile phone and deliver a coupon or promotional offer.
"What you have is a street-level broadcasting network that's less expensive than [Rupert] Murdoch or [Ted] Turner," said Alex Romanov, founder and CEO of iSIGN Media. He told CSP Daily News that once the stores go live, the network will reach 937,000 phones per day, building to 1.5 million to 2 million over time--at a cost of $3 per store.
With 1,435 Mac's stores equipped, the next step is communicating the program to the public, Romanov said, with arrangements being made for Canadian freestyle skier and 2010 Olympic champion Ashleigh McIvor to endorse the project.
Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which operates the Mac's stores in Canada as well as Circle K chain in the United States, has yet to communicate its larger plans for the technology. But Romanov said Couche-Tard signed a multi-year contract with iSIGN last December and has the right to buy 5% equity shares in the company.
Cellphone users concerned about privacy invasion can disable the Bluetooth function, with iSIGN developing a website, www.dealhere.ca, to answer questions and provide information about the technology.
The communication range can be as far as 300 feet, with pedestrians and motorists alike receiving a buzz or ringtone as if a text were coming in. The offer comes up on their display screens and the customer can accept or decline. If they accept, they can look up and walk right into the store.
According to iSIGN's technology partner, IBM, Armonk, N.Y., more than 70% of folks who get a message tend to respond.
The interaction leaves the phone user anonymous, but provides the retailer data on when, where and how the customer responded.
For the c-store space, Romanov said reminding people about buying lottery tickets is a compelling message, as are community warnings like missing-child alerts.
One of the more difficult obstacles in communicating to the public is helping people understand that it's not a phone call or a text. It's a Bluetooth connection. "It just pops a message to you," he said. "It's free; you don't use a carrier. It's an anonymous, free and convenient messaging network that makes it easy for [customers] to take advantage of deals and provides analytics for the brand. It's instant metrics."
iSIGN Media is a provider of multi-platform advertising solutions that use Bluetooth, mobile, WiFi and location-aware technologies to engage consumers. The resulting intelligence and metrics, gathered through iSIGN's patent-pending advertising platform, deliver insights into emerging consumer behaviors that help advertisers measure their efforts and make better business decisions. Based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, the company is also an owner-operator of in-store digital media in Canada with 5,600 digital signs in more than 1,400 locations.
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