Indoor Navigation and Location-Based Services – Features for the Retail Industry

The indoor positioning solutions from KKM offer new digital opportunities for the retail industry. They not only create added value for your customers, they also help to better coordinate internal processes. As an operator of a shopping center, you can benefit equally from satisfied visitors and store operators alike.

According to a study by ECE, a German project manager for shopping centers, digital services are much asked for by customers:

  • two thirds of the visitors inform themselves about the center via app and website before the visit
  • arrival services (84%) and information on-site (86%) are highly relevant
  • customers who arrive with the car (over 50%) are very interested in being assisted by a parking guidance system and paying contactless
  • each fourth client wants to use a 3D guidance system (indoor navigation), among people under 40 it is even each third
More information on BLE 4.0 / 5.1 tags (beacons)

Indoor Navigation in Shopping Centers

Where to find what? What current offers are there? How do I get to my desired store? Customers have this information right at their fingertips in a shopping center app. Indoor navigation as well as other services make the shopping experience more enjoyable and enriching for the customer. Automatic positioning, even in interior spaces, locates the customer on a digital map – enabling easier orientation and navigation. This map can also be integrated into kiosk systems or the website.

There are also a wide range of display options for stores and restaurants. Opening times, photos, information on the product range and contact options increase visibility enormously. Using location-based marketing, retailers reach their target group directly: additional purchase incentives can be employed independent of the location and interests of the user, e.g. via push messages and coupons. The “Around me” function provides an overview of all stores in the user’s environment.

Parking and Arrival

In large shopping centers, customers are sometimes faced with countless parking spaces and multi-story car parks.
It is not always easy to keep track and to find your way back to your parked car.
KKM solutions help your customers to find the best possible parking option taking the current parking situation into account. This means you can avoid overloading and create additional control options.
The user can save the position of their own car and navigate directly to their desired store. This also means that getting back to your own car is no longer a problem.

Security, Indoor Tracking and Analysis

KKM Indoor Analytics continuously records data of movement profiles and capacities at specific locations. Indoor Tracking offers much added value in the shopping center’s security areas.
The solutions aid property security with improved process coordination, such as through tracking security personnel. You also have the option of assigning tasks and managing them conveniently.
An alarm function informs the control room in the case of people entering non-public areas, or if the utilization in one walkway area exceeds a set value.
KKM Indoor Location Analytics constantly provides you with data on the movement profiles and capacities in the individual locations.

Goods, work tools and vehicles can also be tracked – using Geofencing you can also implement anti-theft protection. KKM Indoor Location Analytics provide you with continuous data on movement profiles and capacities at individual locations – data protection compliant and up to product level. This data is relevant for market research, property management and marketing.

Technical Implementation

The existing technical infrastructure can directly be used in many cases. Depending on the requirement, the operator choses a client-based (app is necessary, positioning via Wi-FiBluetooth beacons and sensor fusion, including a back channel) or a server-based solution (no app required; positioning via KKM Locator Nodes; detection of Wi-Fi devices, Bluetooth beacons, Ultra-wideband or RFID modules; no back channel available). High-precision solutions with low latencies can be implemented on the basis of Ultra-wideband (UWB). The use of RFID is suitable for a point-specific object identification with high unit numbers.

Indoor navigation software by KKM can be implemented in existing applications, websites and hospital information systems. The accuracy is – depending on the technical realization – up to ten centimeters or less.