Beacon adoption has been all but abandoned by most retail chains, suggests a report today.
iBeacons and other beacons were once touted as a technology that would revolutionise retailing. They would help us find products in-store, provide easy access to detailed information on our iPhone when looking at a product display, and beam us discounts and offers to help us save money.
The reality, however, hasn’t lived up to the hype …
VentureBeat says that all the signs point to beacons being a dying technology.
iBeacon support was first added to iPhones in iOS 7 back in 2013, and its capabilities sounded impressive.
Sports stadiums were particularly enthusiastic early adopters.
But while early trials showed impressive results, four problems have reduced retailer enthusiasm for the tech, argues Kyle Wiggers, with beacon adoption at extremely low levels.
- Few customers have heard of beacons, so most haven’t installed retailer apps
- Bluetooth has limited range and signals are easily blocked by people and store furniture
- Customers tend to discontinue app use if they feel they’re being spammed
- Growing concern about privacy, with apps failing to be upfront about the data they collect
But while beacon adoption is continuing – Walmart, Rite Aid, and Target among those still trialling the technology – most other big retail chains seem to have lost interest.
Have you received iBeacon alerts from any of your retailer apps? Have they been useful, or not? Please share your experiences in the comments.
Image: Shutterstock
