McDonald’s is testing some new technology that will hook you up with some great deals the next time you’re thinking about getting a McChicken. Now the technology isn’t “new,” we’ve all heard about beacon technology that can notify nearby smartphones with messages. The large fast food chain is piloting bluetooth beacon technology based off a platform created by Piper. The beacon platform created by Piper can be used on either Android or iOS devices using Apple’s iBeacon framework. It was recently announced by Piper that they will be running test of their beacon technology at McDonalds locations in Columbus, Georgia. At these beacon testing locations, McDonalds will push location-based offers to users that download the app.
For right now the beacon test are only being conducted in the Columbus, Georgia area. McDonalds is looking forward to expanding the beacon technology to additional locations due to success with the beacon offers after a period of 4 weeks. According to Piper, “McChicken sales increased 8 percent and McNuggets increased 7.5 percent from the previous month.” Thats rather surprising to hear that a little push notification on someone’s phone encouraged them to take up on an offer to buy a McChicken. McDonalds isn’t the only company that’s currently testing out beacon technology. There are many businesses that have been deploying Bluetooth beacons for sending location-based offers and notifications to passing smartphone users.
In the Business Insiders latest Intelligence report, its expected that 30,000 beacons have been installed within 80% of retail stores this year alone. In addition, the report shows that half of the top 100 retailers in the US are experimenting with beacon technology and are expected to be installed in one-third of stores by the end of next year. This news is great for Piper which is one of many companies that sells hardware and software solutions to businesses that want to deploy Bluetooth hardware needed for sending out location-based offers to smartphone users. From the looks of things, the beacon network is really working. After seeing an increase in McChickens being bought at McDonalds, other beacon networks such as InMarket has seen an increase in the number of interactions with advertised product apps. It seems that the future of beacon technology is looking bright for local businesses and retailers wanting to push offers to nearby customers.