In-store location-based marketing with beacons: from inflated expectations to smart use in retailing

The announcement of beacon technology in 2013 created a wave of excitement among pioneering retailers and marketing leaders, allowing them to send location-based messages to customers in-store. However, until present, the technology has not yet established a strong foothold in retailing. The present paper adopts a multi-method approach with the objective to 1) detail its main challenges in the market and 2) enlighten scholars and practitioners on smart use cases for in-store location-based marketing. The findings of the multiple data sources (i.e. review of academic and practitioner literature, in-depth interviews with retail technology experts and focus groups with consumers) allowed the authors to infer valid conclusions, along with recommendations for future research and actionable managerial advice.