The technology will mean Verve can track members as they travel into and around iBeacon fitted stores, a development that is being rolled out by leading retailers for marketing purposes.

When a Verve Community Panel member enters a client’s store, their app detects the in-store iBeacons and their exact location (down to aisle level). This data can then trigger activities such as preloaded surveys on their mobile devices based on where they are in the store, how long they remained in a given area and the journey they have taken through the store. The journey can also be linked to purchase data and abandoned journeys.

Georgina Botting (picture), director at Verve and retail research specialist said: “IBeacon technology, teamed with our app and purchase data, allows us to conduct shopper research that is not only more accurate and more scalable than current methodologies, but that is also more cost-effective and quick to interpret.”