Image: Target
Stores have been quietly tracking customer shopping habits through location and facial recognition technology for years. Now customers at Target can now opt in to a new location-based shopping experience with a program that guides them through the store with Bluetooth beacons.The new program, launching this week in 50 of Target's stores, will send push notifications to users through the company's mobile app when they are in close range of deals or nearby sale products."We're excited to start using beacon technology to offer real-time, relevant content and services that can help make shopping at Target easier and more fun," Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and mobile, said in a statement. "This is another way Target is bridging mobile and stores, and using digital to enhance the in-store shopping experience. We look forward to seeing how our guests respond to what we've built."Beacons are egg-sized, Bluetooth-enabled devices that will be placed throughout the store to communicate with smartphones. Beacon programs have been implemented in parts of London to help people who are vision impaired.If users with the Target app are near one of the 50 test stores they will be prompted to opt in to share their location and receive pop-ups about certain products. For example, the app will send you a push notification if a nearby product is trending on Pinterest and will recommend products based on your location in the store.Eventually Target plans to add features that rearrange your shopping list based on your location in the store and the ability to request a store employee's assistance with the click of a button. The app is currently only available on iPhone.