Macy’s deploys enhanced mobile tech from Shopkick

Macy’s flagships in Herald Square, New York, and Union Square, San Francisco, are the first major retail locations to deploy Shopkick’s Apple iBeacon-based presence signal. The trial is in closed beta and is anticipated to go live to Shopkick users within weeks.



As shoppers enter Macy's, ShopBeacon can remind those who've opted in to open their Shopkick app, and in the future, also deliver personalized value with department-level granularity. Building on Apple's iBeacon, an iOS 7 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mobile protocol, ShopBeacon adds encrypted signals to protect retailers and consumers, and complements it with Shopkick's other proprietary technologies for added accuracy and scale.



ShopBeacon can welcome shoppers when they enter a Macy's store and shows them location-specific deals, discounts, recommendations, and rewards, without having to remember to open the app. It can also tie at-home browsing behavior to in-store benefit; if the customer "likes" a specific product online, if they so choose, ShopBeacon can remind them when they enter the store that Macy's sells it. Even better, in the future it can also deliver department-specific offers throughout the store – so favorite boots show up at the most useful time: in the shoe department.



"We have made great strides in creating the best omnichannel experience at Macy's, and delivering the most relevant messages and offers to our customers at what is arguably the most helpful moment – while they are shopping in our stores – can be very advantageous for the customer," said Martine Reardon, Macy's chief marketing officer. "With this ShopBeacon trial, we are testing the most leading-edge mobile technologies, because we believe they can even further enhance the in-store experience for Macy's shoppers."