Despite all the talk surrounding the game-changing potential of beacons in retail environments, the average customers probably can’t even name a single store where he or she is likely to have been the target of a beacon-based engagement. Part of this could be chalked up to deficiencies in the technology itself, but there’s also the simple fact that no single high-profile retailer has emerged to trumpet beacons’ potential in a way that’s connected with consumers. Now, though, Rite Aid is assuming the mantle of beacon’s knight in shining armor. ZDNet reported that the health and wellness retailer recently made the decision to install beacon systems in over 4,500 storefronts across the U.S. — a move that helps Rite Aid supplant Macy’s as the merchant running the single largest, contiguous beacon network in the country. Macy’s had previously been operating a 4,000 beacon-strong network in its stores, but with this news, Rite Aid has now become the newest champion of beacons.

Why is Rite Aid attempting a project that Macy’s saw little success with? It’s hardly as if 500 extra beacons are going to mean the difference between store closures and a new age of in-store marketing, and Dave Heinzinger, communications director at inMarket, which is partnering with Rite Aid to build out an ecosystem of apps to make the beacon networks buzz with functionality, told ZDNet that he agrees. Instead, inMarket and Rite Aid are hedging their bets on a vibrant ecosystem of integrated partner apps that open a new realm of location-based marketing possibilities. “Beacons on their own require apps to listen for them; otherwise, they don’t do anything,” Heinzinger told ZDNet. “Our strategy has been to build out relationships with apps that people already use, rather than try to reinvent the wheel and get people to download something new.” While ensuring cross-app and brand functionality might seem like an added value for any beacon campaign, it might be close to a necessity for a retailer like Rite Aid.

While Macy’s might have only a handful of third-party brands it carries and has to accomodate for, a single aisle in a Rite Aid store might contain dozens and dozens of different brands. Without an approach that emphasizes navigating these frequently choppy technical waters, Rite Aid’s beacon program would have been doomed, like Macy’s, before it began.table and chair rentals in harford county md There’s another wrinkle to Rite Aid’s situation that might hint at a more favorable shopping environment than Macy’s enjoyed. zero gravity chair beigeIn an interview with iMedia Connection, Jason Spero, head of global media sales and strategy at Google, explained that while the average consumer isn’t yet ready to become a dyed-in-the-wool beacon advocate, he or she is becoming more familiar with the idea of being connected to a world of invisible data as they walk down an in-store aisle.zero gravity chair beige

“The consumer knows that he or she is connected and empowered in all these ways,” Spero said. “The consumer also knows that their device has a sense of geospacial relations. You, as a consumer, know that, with your device, at any point, with a couple of exceptions, it can tell you what’s around you to help you solve problems. chair covers to hire hullYou can go out and get the world’s information with your connection, or you can map the physical world around you.”table and chair campbelltown To Spero, this kind of slowly creeping comfort with how beacon technology intersects with consumer behavior has done much the same thing that a landscaping crew would do before a major construction project — flattening the land, removing any major obstacles, dynamiting mountains in the way if need be and then smoothing everything over for the next phase of development.bean bag chair di indonesia

That, combined with the nature of the products that Rite Aid is selling — will beacons perform better in a vertical selling necessaries, like medicine and personal care products? — could spell success for the retailer, whereas Macy’s saw very little.An attempt to stop a shoplifter at a Rite Aid in Hillsboro, Oregon, escalated to a scuffle as an employee tried to subdue the struggling woman. Witness footage shows a Rite Aid employee trying to detain a young woman in the store until police arrive. The unidentified woman had allegedly stolen two items from the pharmacy chain and put them in her purse. She repeatedly tells the unidentified male employee to 'let go' of her purse. When he refuses, she attempts to twist her purse out of his hands. Scroll down for video Footage shows a female shoplifter fighting with an employee at a Rite Aid in Hillsboro, Oregon The male employee tries to detain the young woman in the store until police arrive 'We're going to call the police and deal with this the right way,' the employee says calmly.

A tug-of-war ensues, with both parties involved getting increasingly frustrated. The incident unfolded in front of a cash register near the store's exit. In the nearly five-minute video by KodyXO, the woman fights with the store employee trying to recover the merchandise. 'You know what happens to you when you insult someone?' the woman argues. 'You'll go to f***ing jail.' Shoplifting in Oregon is a serious crime, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Stores there can sue shoplifters in civil court to recover damages.When the police get here we'll see,' the employee replies, shaking his head. The alleged shoplifter tries to provoke the employee and does not lose eye contact with him. He allegedly caught her stealing two items from the store and putting them in her purse The unidentified woman repeatedly tells the male employee to 'let go' of her purse When he refuses, she attempts to twist her purse out of his hands

'You don't shoplift here. You can go somewhere else but not in here,' he says, as she continues to writhe under his grasp. She agrees with him and asks him to let her go 'somewhere else' before attempting to yank her purse out of his hands. Not caught on camera, is the pair's altercation in the store's parking lot, where the employee allegedly chased and brought her back inside. She references this moment: ' You just hurt me in the parking lot.' Another Rite Aid employee comes over to help and the woman asks if she can tell the man to let go of her. The female employee informs her coworker that the police are on their way. This elicits a violent response from the alleged shoplifter. 'Ah, you're gonna start kickin'?' the male employee says, surprised. The woman asks another Rite Aid employee (left) if she can tell the man to let go of her The unidentified female employee informs her coworker that the police are on their way This elicits a violent response from the alleged shoplifter, who kicks the male employee

A female customer in a blue jacket approaches the pair in an attempt to break up the fight It's at this time that a female customer in a blue windbreaker approaches the pair. The alleged shoplifter tells her that the male employee hurt her in the parking lot. 'I'm gonna take you down for that now!' the male employee says as he wrestles her to the floor. The force knocks off her glasses. A female witness can be heard in the background saying: 'M'am you need to chill out; you need to chill' Halfway through the video the alleged shoplifter cries and screams 'let me go' as other Rite Aid employees and customers surround the fight. Now with an audience, the alleged shoplifter throws a punch at the male employee - narrowly missing his head. He continues to tell her to stop and does not retaliate. Police arrive at the Rite Aid and arrest the alleged female shoplifter, sans purse Shoplifting in Oregon is punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine