Verifone Brings Beacons To The Supermarket

Verifone said Friday (Jan. 15) that Allrecipes, the food-centered social network that serves as a repository of recipes, collections and grocery promotions across mobile platforms, is piloting the firm’s beacon system.

Under the terms of the program, Allrecipes is researching beacon-triggered events that may enhance the in-store experience for the social network app users. Verifone noted in an announcement detailing the pilot program that 90 percent of its users use recipes to inform their grocery purchases. Allrecipes said Verifone can help advertisers link with would-be consumers at several points along the shopping experience.

Through the process dictated by the pilot program, the user would download the Allrecipes Dinner Spinner app to a mobile device, and the app contains Verifone’s software development kit, enabling beacons at the in-store payment terminals to interact with and trigger the application. The signals are activated through Bluetooth, notifying the user’s phone. The Allrecipes app, opened on the phone, delivers recipes customized to the user and the store in general, prompting the purchase of ingredients that are used in the recipe.

In terms of personalized service with the app, Verifone said that top-rated ideas can be floated directly to the user and can be locally relevant (in terms of ingredients). In addition, the consumer packaged goods companies can reach buyers at what the payments firm said remain critical moments, with the ability to attract grocers. The grocers can elect to have recipes that have integration with special sales in progress and can cross-sell other products, such as wine, added Verifone. The company said retailers piloting the beacon setup will be able to experience it at a demo at NRF Retail’s BIG Show 2016 next week.