UK beauty and health store Superdrug has announced that it is rolling out Wi-Fi to its stores. The internet access aims to get customers browsing, learning about its products and accessing online reviews and social media while in store.
"We know how trend-conscious our customers are and free WiFi will allow them to go online to gain instant inspiration. The new technology will add an extra element of interaction and fun for our customers," said Matt Walburn, marketing director at Superdrug.
Of course, nothing in life is free, and Superdrug is getting something out of this deal too. According to IDG, the company will gather anonymized data on users' browsing habits. This data will be used to improve Superdrugs targeted ads. Pocket-lint cites Superdrug as saying 79.5 per cent of mobile consumers are influenced by the availability of in-store WiFi when it comes to deciding where to shop.
The WiFi will be provided by The Cloud, which is owned by Sky parent company BSkyB. BSkyB made the move to purchase The Cloud, a UK-based WiFi hotspot network comprised of 5,000 hotspots, in 2011. The company paid £50 million for The Cloud.