Restaurant Marketing & Customer Experience Blog

How Do Wi-Fi Sensors Work for Marketing?

Written by Robin Johnston | Mar 13, 2018 11:00:00 AM

Wi-Fi sensors are a relatively new and underestimated marketing tool. But with nearly every business offering their own Wi-Fi and customers viewing free Wi-Fi as a given, why not get the most out of it? Wi-Fi sensors can detect and record metrics like customer traffic and return visit rates. Then an analytics dashboard can compile the most relevant data for you to apply to future marketing strategies. So just how do Wi-Fi sensors work?

Setting Up Wi-Fi Sensors

To get started, you'll need to have Wi-Fi sensors installed at your store location. Home automation systems already use this technology to notify homeowners of lights that need replacing, unusual temperatures, or potential security threats. Wi-Fi sensors at your store detect measures like passersby who don't enter your store, store traffic, and dwell time at your location.

Be Smart about Your Wi-Fi Landing Page

Next, you'll need to set up a smart Wi-Fi landing page to gather customer information. A landing page shouldn't be just an advertisement for your services. To make full use of your Wi-Fi landing page, you ask your shoppers for a simple request, like an email, in order to access your Wi-Fi.

Your Wi-Fi sensor system will capture and organize customer data. Using data publicly available over Wi-Fi, sensors can tell you even more about the customers who visit your location.

What Kind of Data Can You Capture with Wi-Fi Sensors?

The answer is: More than you expect. Wi-Fi sensors can record:

  • Contact information
  • Demographics like age and gender
  • Area or zip codes
  • Purchasing behavior
  • Social media profiles

A surprising amount of information is connected to Wi-Fi use. The apps customers use in your store, including social media apps, have data that users have made public and anyone can see. But you wouldn't waste time manually looking through the social media profiles of your customers to learn more about them. Instead, you set your preferences and the system's algorithms will track only the data you want to see from your customers.

While you might not be too interested in the favorite TV shows your customer listed on their Facebook page, you'll probably want to know about any reviews they've left on your business. With third-party integration, your system can even pull information from review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp. Wi-Fi sensors can then automatically compile relevant data to produce reports for your business.

Analytics and Reporting

Data collected by your Wi-Fi sensors isn't useful unless you can access it easily and apply it to your marketing strategies. But customized data collection and a clear dashboard allow you to check data anytime you need it or automatically generate performance reports. Using the data you've obtained, you can adjust your marketing strategy.

Automated Marketing Activities

The adjustments you make might be manual, but you can also accomplish a great deal of marketing with automation. Wi-Fi sensors can send discounts after a customer has left your store to encourage repeat visits and increase customer frequency. Your system can detect when a customer may be at risk of churning and send them a "miss you" email to encourage another visit. Or you might automate an email that asks all customers for a review to improve your online ratings.

Personalized Marketing

Wi-Fi sensors also allow you to personalize your marketing efforts more easily. Knowing more about your customers could help you identify loyal customers and send them more frequent updates about new releases, restocked items, or seasonal specials. To reward them for their business, you can offer special promotions. On the other hand, you can market to first-time customers with incentives to come back.

With Wi-Fi sensors, you have the potential to reach more customers than ever by simply collecting data and viewing it in an organized format. Start using intelligent marketing to keep up with your customers and grow your business.