UK mobile network operator EE has launched a new retail service called ‘Connected Retail’ to help shops monitor their customers’ behaviour.
Although full details haven’t been announced, the new service is described as using mobile connectivity inside shops “to improve the customer experience and open new revenue streams”.
It’s able to note when consumers arrive at their local store and how long they spend shopping. It’s also possible for the service to anticipate checkout queues, according to EE.
Retailers can use this information to send personalised offers, promotions and other messages to a customer’s smartphone while they are shopping.
Max Taylor, Director of Corporate Business at EE, said “Consumers are always online, always mobile, shopping on the go. By 2016, 80% of consumers will be using mobile to make informed buying decisions. As they find, compare, share and buy, retailers have the opportunity to exploit digital channels and create a far more engaging in-store experience.”
The news was accompanied by a survey that suggested British retailers could lose £1.04 billion a year because of long queues at the checkout, with 73% of shoppers saying they’d abandon purchases if they had to wait longer than five minutes.