Marsh Supermarkets, inMarket launch Apple Watch iBeacon experience

INDIANAPOLIS and LOS ANGELES — In what is being touted as the first iBeacon-wearable integration at retail, Marsh Supermarkets and inMarket have announced the deployment of a closed-loop iBeacon platform, enablingshoppers with smartphones and Apple Watch to have their favorite apps come alive in-store.



iBeacons enable smartphone and wearable apps to wake up at precise moments and help shoppers based on where they are. For example, a shopper might be reminded to check her shopping list app upon entering a store, or to view ingredients for a recipe she favorited last week.



inMarket's SDK will enable opted-in shoppers with the Marsh app, shopping apps on the inMarket Beacon Platform and now Apple Watch apps to experience contextual mobile experiences in the store. inMarket's beacon platform reaches 18% of all U.S. mobile users, or 32 million shoppers per month, per comScore.



"iBeacons have created new ways to connect with mobile shoppers in the store, and inMarket allows us to reach many of our shoppers through the apps they love and use every day," stated Amit Bhardwaj, senior director of customer loyalty, Marsh Supermarkets. "Now with wearable integration, shoppers who use Apple Watch will enjoy the same digitally augmented, real-world shopping experience."



With Apple Watch integration, Marsh and inMarket are the first to extend iBeacon enhancements beyond smartphone users to the new audience of "wearers."



"Mobile isn't just the phone anymore. Mobile includes any device that conforms to your life and helps you based on who, where and even 'when' you are," added Todd Dipaola, CEO at inMarket. "It's an amazing time for consumers and commerce as digital and physical experiences converge."