Drugstore chain Duane Reade announced today that its updating its iPhone app with support for Apple’s iBeacons. The Walgreen-owned chain recently installed the low-power Bluetooth devices in 10 of its New York City locations. A separate report tell us that discount retailer Walmart is also testing iBeacons, but has not yet installed them in any of its stores.
9to5Mac reports that Duane Reade has installed the Bluetooth iBeacons in order to beam offers, coupons and product info to customers in proximity that have the company’s iPhone app installed.
Duane Reade: The addition of iBeacon to the Duane Reade app vastly improves the customer in-store user experience. iBeacon is a technology Apple introduced with iOS 7 that uses Bluetooth Low Energy and geo-fencing to provide apps a new level of micro-location awareness, such as trail markers in a park, exhibits in a museum or product displays in stores. The inclusion of this technology to the Duane Reade app adds features such as lock screen notifications when initially approaching a select Duane Reade store location, coupon offers based on historical data and product reviews for timely content at the point-of-decision. iBeacon will initially be available at 10-select Duane Reade stores in Manhattan to test the viability of a further rollout.
The Duane Reade iBeacon test store locations are:
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51 W 51ST ST
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22 W 48TH ST
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661 8TH AVE
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4 COLUMBUS CIR
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771 8TH AVE
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1350 BROADWAY
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1627 BROADWAY
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100 W 57TH ST
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1370 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
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1150 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
IndoorLBS reports that Walmart is also testing iBeacons, but testing is still confined to the lab, and devices have not yet been installed in stores. Walmart says they are “pretty excited about iBeacons, knowing where a customer is often helps us serve them better.” Acknowledging that “90% of retail still happens in store and it has to do with proximity.”
