Skip to main content

Retailer In-Store Wireless Apps Boost Wi-Fi Usage

Retailers across the globe were one of the first sectors to adopt big data applications, as a way to gain new in-store shopper traffic insights. Wireless technology is key component of the solution. ABI Research reported greater growth in Wi-Fi location analytics within the retail market during 2015.

ABI analyst calculations show that total Wi-Fi location technology installations in retail were up almost 400 percent year-over-year. And, the growth trend is forecast to continue in 2016.

Driving the growth is a combination of start-ups and legacy access point vendors, such as Cisco Systems, Ruckus Wireless, and Zebra Technologies, that are adopting new pricing models, technologies, and a large number of platform partners to help them win new business.

Market Development of New Wi-Fi Apps

"Previous iterations of Wi-Fi location platforms were expensive and not ideal for customer engagement," said Patrick Connolly, principal analyst at ABI Research.

According to the ABI assessment, retailers and vendors quickly grasped that Wi-Fi's role in this space centers on gathering customer analytics. Besides, iBeacons are good for engagement and advertising but very limited in the short-term for customer data analytics.

Zebra Technologies, for example, shows marked innovation in combining Wi-Fi and beacon technology with third party app offerings, to maximize analytics and customer engagement capabilities for their retail partners. The resulting retail data explosion is creating new demand for object storage solutions.

Independent Wi-Fi analytics start-up providers, such as Euclid, Walkbase, Cloud4Wi, and, in particular, Purple, experienced rapid growth of their customer bases over the past two years, even expanding beyond retail into public venues like hospitality, stadiums, airports and cities/tourism.

Demand for Next Generation Technologies

There are also some very significant Wi-Fi based deployments at advanced stages of planning, which will ensure 2015 was not a one-off. "The ongoing challenge is a simple one: there is always new technology around the corner," concludes Connolly.

Retailers are only beginning to grow accustomed to Wi-Fi and iBeacons, yet the industry is already shifting toward a new generation of technologies, such as magnetic field, sensor fusion, and Google’s Project Tango.

Many Wi-Fi and beacon vendors are also developing their own high accuracy proprietary solutions, which will start to penetrate the market in 2016. Overall, ABI expects to see a big shift towards hybridization and increased accuracy in 2016.

Popular posts from this blog

How Savvy Pioneers Lead the Future of Work

Hybrid and fully remote work are inevitable in the Global Networked Economy where high-performance talent demands flexibility from employers. To enable these progressive work models, organizations are investing in a wide range of technologies to support more agile types of employment.  According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), leading organizations will spend nearly $1 billion on the Future of Work (FoW) in 2023 -- that's an increase of 18.8 percent over 2022. Future of Work Market Development "Work models continue to evolve, but 37 percent of decision-makers in a recent global survey note that Remote and Hybrid work models will be an embedded part of accepted work practices, supported by a continued shift to the cloud, increasingly instrumented and interconnected physical workplaces, and intelligent digital workspaces," said Holly Muscolino, group vice president at IDC . According to the IDC assessment, organizations must mak

Human Resource Transformation Enabled by IT

Many senior executives are taking a proactive approach to digital business transformation in order to achieve their strategic goals. Delivering revenue growth and profitability is now imperative for every function, including Human Resources (HR). The top 3 priority HR technologies this year are skills management, learning experience platforms, and internal talent marketplaces, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. "With a tumultuous global economy, HR technology leaders face a balancing act in 2023," said Sam Grinter, director at Gartner . "Leaders must anticipate greater levels of accountability and demand for measurable outcomes to justify new technology investments." HR Transformation Market Development Forty-four percent of HR leaders report driving better business outcomes is their number one strategic priority for HR technology transformation over the next three years. Growth in headcount and skills (26 percent) and cost optimization (17 p

Virtual Reality Market Set to Reach $100 Billion

Virtual Reality (VR) market growth is now finally coming to fruition. Thanks to current actions and market momentum, VR is approaching what can be considered critical mass. And, not a moment too soon. This growth momentum comes from new hardware and content releases, accelerating enterprise value recognition, and a significant metaverse wild card that could potentially lift adoption and usage. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, over 85 million VR Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) will be shipped in 2027 across consumer and enterprise segments, creating a $100 billion VR market that includes hardware, software, and services. Virtual Reality Market Development "Expectations have been high in VR for years, and even decades, without notable growth to show. That growth is finally coming over the next five years," said Eric Abbruzzese, research director at ABI Research . The barrier to entry is lower than ever, all while content performance and user experien