As a Meraki Technology Partner we were very excited when we got our hands on the presence API several weeks ago. This is something we have been doing with our AirTight Networks integration for a while now, so the capability within Meraki came as a very welcome piece of the puzzle.
On top of our integration with Social WiFi and the extensive reporting we are already able to provide, we are also now able to give wider insights about devices that are not authenticated to the guest WiFi network. Termed 'Presence Analytics,' this booming market aims to give brick-and-mortar businesses some of the rich analytical data that web properties, through programs like Google Analytics, have enjoyed for a long time.
Now, there are a few other vendors working within retail analytics using presence. What you get with this is a lot of numbers, similar to Google Analytics, which is unbelievably valuable information. Things such as foot traffic, window conversion rates, engagement or bounce rates, and heat mapping, to name a few. What we are able to do is layer on top of that data from authenticated users so you can then get a statistically significant sample of those users and see what the demographic makeup is. Do women of a particular age range convert better, spend more time, or engage more with your venue?
You can slice and dice it any way you want and get real, actionable intelligence about how to improve your interactions with customers in the real world.
