Beacons Have Been Touted for Years for Retail

It looks like it took an airport to show us the way. Mediapost reports that the "promise of beacons in that context has been the ability to deliver more relevant messaging based on location; … however, when used as a service, beacons can be used to help people get around."  Stay with me.

London’s Gatwick Airport installed 2,000 beacons across its two terminals to enable a reliable "blue dot" on indoor maps, along with an augmented reality wayfinding tool so passengers can be shown directions in the camera view of their smartphones. 

Mediapost says that Gatwick isn't collecting any personal data, although generic information on people densities in different beacon zones may be used to improve airport operations such as queue management and reducing congestion. 

Just imagine the opportunities for supermarkets: offering shoppers a foolproof tool to find products within stores, get special offers, tie into their frequent shopper cards, and relieve congestion at the service departments by adding staff where needed. The applications are endless and strengthen the shopper-retailer relationship. It’s time the folks who run our supermarkets become the "cool guys."