French supermarket uses LED lighting system to send shoppers promotions

In 2015, the Carrefour supermarket in Lille installed a system of LED lights designed by Philips that send special offers and location data to customers' smartphones. Using the system, customers who install an app can use their smartphone camera to detect all the promotions around them or search for and locate the ones they were interested in. The supermarket also benefited from cost savings, as the new lights consumed 50% of the energy of the old ones. Most other such systems rely on Bluetooth beacons and wifi location systems, which are cheaper and easier to install; however, the LED system is accurate up to 1m and can determine which direction the shoppers are facing.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32848763

Writer: Leo Kelton
Publication: BBC