This is a little bit cool, a little bit creepy, and a little bit “Minority Report“. Razorfish Emerging Experiences group has prototyped a next gen retail experience that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) indoor location-based tracking to serve up content to your smartphone, or live screens in proximity to you as you shop. By taking advantage of your smartphone’s connectivity, Razorfish was able to see movements and identities of smartphones throughout retail environments. With this information they were able to gather data on who you are, when you entered, where you went, where you lingered, and when you left. Using this data, they were able to serve up relevant content to the shopper.

Razorfish is exploring using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) indoor position tracking to help integrate mobile experiences into a physical retail space. While the idea of pushing advertising, and other content to my phone is a bit creepy, there are other uses that Razorfish points out. Things like wayfinding systems to help guide shoppers through a crowded store or to less crowded checkout lines. In addition they point out that you could use the service to signal for in-store assistance.  For a full breakdown on the project click here to go to the Razorfish site.