Iris Mobile, a mobile solutions provider offering a text-based Rich Media Messaging platform to marketers, has announced a new innovation called Proximity Based Messaging that helps brands re-target their customers offline.
The Proximity Based Messaging solution from Iris Mobile allows brands to send real-time offers by using Wi-Fi access points to identify a mobile device attempting to use its services. When accessing in-store Wi-Fi, customers are initially asked to sign-in via a mobile opt-in form. Going forward, they can be detected any time they are within range of the Wi-Fi access point.
According to the company, a use case for this technology might involve a shopper named Kate, who took advantage of a $5 off promotion by signing up for IKEA’s Wi-Fi while she was in store last week. Today, just as Kate is heading back up the escalator into the store, she receives a personalized coupon for an additional 30 percent off window treatments – which is what she came to buy based on her last online search.
Proximity Based Messaging is distinct from other location based detection services in that it only detects the user when they are within range of the Wi-Fi and does not track customer movements on an ongoing basis, making it the best option for maintaining customer privacy. The use of this service is limited to Wi-Fi enabled smartphone users and to retailers or venues that offer Wi-Fi access, but compared with similar technologies on the market today, Iris Mobile’s Proximity Based Detection is one of the simplest and most cost effective strategies to implement. Brands can leverage this technology for more than just real-time offers. Iris Mobile’s platform enables the capture of an exhaustive set of analytics, integrating with a marketer’s CRM (customer relationship management) for a more complete set of data. Marketers can track in-store buying behavior such as duration and frequency of visit or collect information on preferences and online browsing behavior, using these insights to direct future communication. Similar to online re-targeting, where re-appearing banner display ads appear once a product has been viewed, Proximity Based Detection can effectively achieve the same result using offline re-targeting.
The company’s customers include IKEA, Cartier, Express, Pink, Avenue and Kellogg’s, as well as agencies such as Leo Burnett, 89 Degrees, Edelman and The Marketing Arm. The company’s Rich Media Messaging campaigns have won multiple honors, including the Super REGGIE, ADDY®, ECHO™, Effective Mobile Marketing and SMARTIE™ awards.
