Magazine group IPC Media is to begin a test period of Apple’s iBeacon technology in 740 Tesco-owned One Stop stores next week.
In first ever UK-wide beacon campaign, the publisher of Marie Claire, Woman and Chat will use the technology to alert shoppers to price promotions for magazines when they move into a particular section of the store.
This means users who have downloaded the OneStop or Appflare Redeem apps will be able to get money off when they buy magazines include Pick Me Up and TV & Satellite Week.
Katharine Challinor, the retail sales director at IPC Media, said: "We are incredibly excited to launch a wide-scale campaign promoting our brands via Beacon technology. The technology will give us an innovative new way to interact with our readers, at the point of sale, in a way that we know will be timely and relevant."
Owen Geddes, the CEO and founder of Appflare, said: "This is the first time our beacons have been used, so our targets are in the tens of thousands. but we’d hope to reach hundreds of thousands by the end of the year and beyond.
"We’re not looking to ramp it up at breakneck pace, as we’ve got to get the user experience right."
Tesco said it started trialling the technology back in March, but said it is holding off but said it is holding off sending promotions at the moment over concerns it may scare customers off.
