Towards the omni-channel: Beacon-based services in retail

Abstract

The integration of online and offline channels is a key challenge for retailers pursuing an omni-channel strategy to improve consumer experience. The prevalence of smartphones offers an opportunity to connect the physical and digital world. Bluetooth Low Energy beacons are small devices, which send out a signal that can be detected by consumer’s smartphones to enable location-based services. However, there are very few documented cases of beacon usage in Germany, whereas they seem to have a much higher adoption in the US. In this paper, we investigate the challenges associated with the use of beacons in retail. Using a survey, we aim to understand the attitude towards beacons-based services from a sample of consumers in Germany.