In Summit, NJ, when a parent enters “The Learning Circle” daycare center they will receive a discount at “The Toy Professor” toy store. The YMCA invites commuters arriving at the train station to hot yoga sessions. And a restaurant-goer who enters “Rosalita’s” or “Tito’s” BYOB restaurant will receive a pop-up offer from “The Wine List” to have wine or beer delivered directly to their table.
That’s all thanks to Close.by and Estimote Beacons.
In the past 10 years or so, the landscape for small and medium businesses has become rough. The rise of ecommerce and dominance of big box retailers caused the number of entrepreneurs to decline in the US. Local businesses might still have a fighting chance though, with Close.by coming to their aid with cutting-edge tech and a new idea called Merchant Pairings.
Close.by is an app developed by PlaceCodes. It brings ecommerce techniques of cross-selling and affiliate marketing to the physical world. Businesses subscribed to Close.by can join forces and create Merchant Pairings to cross-promote complementary goods and services. Think of it as Amazon recommendation engine for brick and mortar, fueled by Estimote Beacons, which enable delivery of notifications from a particular business to consumers at their partner merchant.
The pilot program recently launched in Summit, NJ and the app has already delivered over 1,000 offers. Early response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and PlaceCodes is already gearing up for launch in other cities across the US.
If you want to learn about more examples of beacons empowering local businesses, read more on Adored and Stealz.