Here are 5 ways that Wifi can bolster and improve brick-and-mortar business:

An Excellent Tool for Building a First-Party Database

There is immense value in using an in-store guest WiFi network to build a first-party database. Not just a hands-free way to gather data on your customers to understand them better and build profiles, it can also be leveraged as target lists for marketing campaigns. Consider the possibilities in retargeting those store visitors with online ads, or potentially creating “lookalike” audiences for gauging prospects.

Foot Traffic Accuracy

No more sales associates standing at the door with a tally counter, WiFi is even better than GPS at determining a user’s precise location. Because networks can be configured and invisible lines drawn, merchants can have a much stronger level of confidence about a user’s presence in a location. This not only applies horizontally, but vertically as well, so multi-floor buildings are less of a challenge. The result: fewer false positives.

Easier Passive Detection of Visitors

WiFi data comes directly from phone interaction with the network rather than from apps running on the phone. This distinction is important because a user won’t need to engage with a particular app or view a particular advertisement in order for a provider to be able to collect data. As long as a user’s WiFi signal is turned on—and remember,  that’s the default setting—the user’s cell phone will be sending a signal that is captured by the wireless router. The result, again, is far fewer false negatives.

Precise Dwell Time Measurement

A WiFi network can be configured to only count a user when that user has been recognized for a minimum amount of time—Zenreach calls this “dwell time.” This gives a much higher degree of confidence that a user is in a location for the time required to be an actual customer and not just someone passing by. This not only improves the quality of the data for targeting purposes, but also ensures the accuracy of measurement in attribution.

Protection from Industry Volatility

Since the data collected comes from phone interaction with the network rather than an app, there’s no need to worry about any recent industry changes to an app’s location tracking impacting WiFi data.

Brick-and-mortar businesses have faced so many struggles due to Covid-19 that we thought these tips would be helpful. I’m happy to answer any questions or arrange an interview with Zenreach CEO John Kelly or VP Megan Wintersteen if you’d like to learn more about this.