Rewe Group's Billa is testing Apple's iBeacon in a number of its Austrian supermarkets.
Eleven Billa outlets are trialling the technology in Austria, which is used for sending promotions based on customers' instore location, and can also access and update loyalty card data at the checkout.
The supermarket is the first in Austria to use the technology, according to Austrian news website heute.at.
The technology enables smartphones, tablets and other devices to take advantage of promotions when in close proximity to an iBeacon. The iBeacon also makes the payment process easier by allowing customers to pay via their smartphone.
Volker Hornsteiner, a spokesperson for Billa, said that Rewe will observe how customers react to the new technology to see if a roll-out will prove worthwhile.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Maike Baeumer. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
