Dive Brief:
- In-store WiFi improves retail sales and loyalty, according to new research from IHL Group, EarthLink Holdings Corp., and AirTight Networks.
- Almost half of stores with employee WiFi reported a 3.4% increase in sales, while WiFi for customers boosted sales 2%.
- Seven out of 10 (70%) of specialty retailers plan to upgrade their POS systems, which will require substantial additional bandwidth.
Dive Insight:
Untethering employees seems to have a positive effect on sales, according to a new report from IHL Group, EarthLink Holdings, and AirTight Networks. Nearly half of the retailers implementing WiFi solutions for employees reported an increase in sales beyond increases seen when WiFi access was granted to customers. “Dwell” times for customers also increased as a result of in-store WiFi, the study says.
More than two-thirds (70%) of specialty retailers plan to upgrade their point-of-sale (POS) systems to accommodate a central order-management system, the survey says, which will require a substantial upgrade to WAN infrastructure. But only one-third (34%) say they are ready to update and optimize their WAN bandwidth.