Companies using technology to track and attract shoppers mean the number of retail deployments by the end of this year has risen 100 percent compared to 2013.
This year, most deployments were in clothing, grocery and shopping malls using information like customer analytics, offers, product search and navigation.
But next year burger joints and coffee shops are expected to take up smartphone applications.
ABI Research senior analyst Patrick Connolly said: “We are seeing growth across all major technologies, including BLE, Wi-Fi and audio, with 2015 being an important year for handset based location, sensor fusion, magnetic fields and LED.”
Most deployments so far have been in the USA but that’s set to change next year and in coming years, without any single company having a dominant market share, he said.
“In 2015, we also expect to see camera analytics companies like ShopperTrak, Irisys and Brickstream playing an increasing role as they expand their offerings into BLE, Wi-Fi and in-store analytics,” he said.
