Sensoro-powered iBeacon Service Applied in 99 Ranch Market Strategy

SEATTLE, Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The leading iBeacon service provider Sensoro today announced that the "WeChat App – Shake Shake Game," which is powered by the company, has been launched in 99 Ranch Market stores in Washington state since August 14.

As the largest Chinese American supermarket chains in the U.S, 99 Ranch Market plays an irreplaceable role in ethnic Chinese American's life. Though established in 1984, the supermarket is not stuck by traditional marketing thinking, but is devoted to applying new marketing strategy.

From August 14 to 27, 99 Ranch Market in Washington State has prepared considerable digital market coupons and gifts for consumers by launching the "WeChat App -- Shake Shake Game," which is powered by Sensoro. It is the first Beacon-based digital marketing case with WeChat in North America and has successfully helped increase customer flow and enhanced the shopping experience.

What is iBeacon?

iBeacon is protocol standard proposed by Apple which is the technique used to provide location information with Beacon hardware. Wechat, a Chinese social smartphone app, has 600 million users and is available on almost all smartphones in China, while Wechat's "shake" feature is regarded as one of the most competitive digital marketing tools for iBeacon technology applied in real scenarios.

Sensoro's Yunzi beacon is the most widely used beacon sensor to support the WeChat interface. Yunzi products have been sent to 46 countries and deployed in more than 5,790 retail stores.

After evaluating the market, 99 Ranch Market decided to try the "Shake" mode of marketing strategy with the support of Yunzi sensor.

New marketing strategy enhances customer flow effectively

The event lasts from August 14 to 27 in all 99 Ranch Market stores in Washington State, and the number of participants reached more than 1,700 on the first day. The result is not a surprise with such innovative and eye-catching marketing strategy. WeChat's "shake" feature has changed the business models and how cosumers behave while increasing the conversion rate.

Customers can follow the steps below to join the activity:

• Firstly, download and open the WeChat smartphone app and turn on the Bluetooth function. Within the WeChat app, choose the "Discover" tab and tap the "Shake" button. 
• Secondly, wait until the word "Nearby" appears on the screen.
• Thirdly, this is the most fun and important step -- shake the phone until the in-game audio stops, and a small rectangular "99 Ranch Market" link is shown on the lower portion of the screen. By clicking the pop-up window that 99 Ranch Market sent to the phone, customers will be able to know whether they have won the prize or not. The more they shake, the greater the chance of winning a prize.

WeChat's "shake" feature has been widely used in China which means beacon notifications are not "pushed" to a user's smartphone. When WeChat is launched and a customer is within range of a beacon, a proximity icon will appear on his or her screen. If the user then shakes the smartphone, the coupon will be delivered, eliminating the potential negative experience of having beacon notifications automatically sent to the customer's smartphone.

The operation of the activity is easy, and customers are allowed to participate in any location inside the supermarket, which greatly enhances the enthusiasm of the customer to participate. In addition, different with the traditional raffle, there is no limitation for shaking frequency. The more customers shake, the more opportunity they could win the coupons.

The activity once again confirms the success of the new marketing strategy. One customer who participated in the activity said, "What attracts me most is the novelty of the activity, and it is great to have a chance to get coupons by shaking a smartphone. It's worth taking the time to shake the phone."

Several Chinese restaurants have deployed Yunzi as well, looking to conduct activities with Yunzi based on iBeacon technology. As for what changes will iBeacon bring next for Chinese Americans, we'll have to wait and see.

For more information contact Jessie at [email protected] or Mina at [email protected].

SOURCE Beijing Sensoro Technology Co.,Ltd.