Macy's to go live with Shopkick's ShopBeacon in weeks

On Monday, we told you about Apple's iBeacon which can help push product information, pricing and promotions to an Apple iPhone carried into a retail establishment.  Now comes word on Wednesday that Shopkick will start a new service called ShopBeacon that will use Apple's iBeacon to transmit special deals and other information to iPhone wielding shoppers. Using Bluetooth LE, the service can track shoppers inside a store and send out specific deals depending on the department that the customer is standing in.

The first retailer to test out ShopBeacon will be Macy's. The retailer, known in the states for its Thanksgiving's Day Parade, will install the iBeacon technology in two stores, one in NYC’s Herald Square and the other in San Francisco’s Union Square. The shopper must have an iPhone that has Bluetooth LE and the Shopkick app. The retailers must buy the iBeacon equipment for $40 a pop and place it on the wall or a flat surface.

Not only will Shopkick send out deals and information about products, it will also allow users to make a mobile payment for any purchase made, without having to tap on a terminal inside the store. The service, which can be set up to automatically turn on the shopper's Shopkick app when he or she enters a participating store, is now running as a closed beta at Macy's and will open to all Shopkick users within weeks.

Want to see the future of shopping? Click on the video below.



source: Shopkick, GigaOM via Pocketlint