Euclid Analytics offers retailers a unified view of their customers using guest WiFi

WiFi-based retail analytics provider Euclid has launched what it’s calling Euclid Connect. Historically, the company provided store visits information to retailers based on anonymous WiFi data; however, the new product uses opt-in participation to offer new personalization and attribution options to retailers.

According to Brent Franson, CEO of Euclid, 82 percent of retailers have WiFi in store, and half of those offer guest WiFi. Euclid Connect seeks to utilize that guest WiFi to obtain log-in/opt-in information from in-store smartphone shoppers. Once they opt in, they continue to be visible to retailers unless or until they opt back out.

That shopper identity can then be used to determine when the customer is present on a subsequent occasion in the same store and connected with other data to obtain a more complete picture of the consumer path to purchase.

Euclid is promoting the following use cases for Connect:

• Understand how customers engage across media to influence the path to purchase.
• Directly attribute digital and mass media advertising with in-store visits.
• Elevate personalization by delivering real- time, contextual engagement based on location.

Franson is careful to stress Euclid Connect’s opt-in nature and privacy sensitivity. He points out that retailers must create a value exchange to get consumers to participate. Once they do, however, he explains the data can help retailers personalize store experiences and other marketing to better compete with Amazon and other online retailers.

Using the existing WiFi infrastructure is the “lowest friction” way, says Franson, to help retailers offer a better in-store experience and gain a better understanding of their customers. One of the traditional retail pain points is that they don’t know who their customers are today. Beacons have been hyped for some of the same reasons. Yet most retailers have yet to implement beacons beyond limited tests.

The pitch for Euclid Connect is that it “enables brick-and-mortar retailers to build a relationship with their shoppers across mediums, personalize their shopping experience and influence the path to purchase.”

Franson and I discussed whether retailers will be able to take full advantage of Euclid Connect, notwithstanding its low barriers. Historically, most physical retailers have been slow to adopt new technologies and not very creative about their use. Franson believes, however, that retailers are now in a competitive environment where they’re effectively compelled to adopt new technologies to improve the customer experience — or face the consequences.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.