Retailers for long have been at the forefront of incorporating technology in retail stores and inventory to increase sales, profit and customer engagement. They do not shy away from taking risks and integrating new technological inventions to monitor security and enhance day-to-day business operations. Probably this is the reason that retail business utilizes the lion’s share of the current RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) market.
At present, the retail competition is stiff, more so with e-commerce stores gaining traction and cutting through the retail profit and customer base. Hence, experimenting with new technologies and incorporating the one that best suits your needs is the way forward. Technology like RFID, IoT, NFC, BLE, EAS etc can help you with customer engagement and operational challenges.
Passive BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) tags can potentially change how customers interact with apparel in retail stores leading to sales by providing real-time product information and recommendations.
With passive BLE tags, retailers can track the movement of customers and products within the store, allowing them to provide personalized recommendations and promotions based on the customer's location and browsing behavior.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Bluetooth Low Energy is a short range, low power consuming bluetooth specification that is popular for its PAwR (Periodic Advertisement with Response) or BLE beacon feature. In essence, BLE beacons can interact with customers in a retail store, sending them product information, personalized product ads, stock availability on their smartphone while they are in the store, enhancing their in-store shopping experience. Customers can opt-out anytime.
Suppose a customer picks up a shirt in a retail store, the BLE tag can trigger a notification on their phone with information on other shirts that are similar in style or on sale. This can improve the customer experience and potentially lead to increased sales. However, it is important for retailers to ensure that the use of such technology is transparent and respects customer privacy.
Passive BLE tags benefitting retailers with EAS and POS
Passive BLE tags can also be integrated with EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) and POS (Point of Sale) to prevent shoplifting and facilitate easy check-out in a retail store. At present, many retail stores in Israel, North America and Europe are experimenting with the idea of ‘connected closet’ where people can leave with BLE tags attached to the apparel, bags, and shoes. See, Passive BLE tags are only activated by BLE readers installed at different intersections throughout the store and these passive BLE Chips and labels are sewn into the apparel. So when a customer picks up a clothing article, the reader can monitor from which section it was picked up and how much time it was in the trial room or not, leading to more data in the hands of retailers as to what items are being tried on more and where they should be placed inside the store.
Using machine learning this data can be analyzed and insights can be generated on customer behavior and demand for particular apparel/ apparel category.
With Passive BLE tags attached to the apparel, the customer can connect one’s smartphone and see the detailed specification and pay for the item and leave through the EAS gates unhindered. A computer software will update the payment details and mark the item as sold. It will also prevent shoplifting by sounding EAS alarms when an article is not marked as sold. Bringing the payment system online, customers don’t have to stand in a queue and they can check out pretty easily.
Some additional use cases and in-store uses of passive BLE tags:
1. Retail Inventory Management
With passive BLE tags, retailers can track inventory in real-time, making it easier to identify when items need to be restocked on the sales floor. This can improve efficiency and prevent stockouts.
2. Personalized Recommendations to shoppers
As mentioned earlier, passive BLE tags can trigger notifications on customers' phones with personalized product recommendations based on their browsing behavior.
3. Interactive Displays
Retailers can use interactive displays that integrate with passive BLE tags to provide customers with more information about products. For example, customers could use their phones to scan a tag on a jacket and see information on different color and size options.
4. Customer Tracking
Passive BLE tags can be used to track customer traffic patterns within the store, helping retailers optimize store layout and staff accordingly.
5. Contactless Checkout
In-store checkout can be made more efficient with the use of passive BLE tags. Customers can simply walk out of the store with their items and be automatically charged via their phone.
Thus, Passive BLE tags can be used in retail stores to increase sales and enhance customer experience while they shop, the possibilities are endless, and the technology is constantly evolving, so more creative use of BLE tags is not far.
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