At the Prudential Center, Detecting Shoppers’ Locations Within 4-5 Feet

Retailers at the Pru can now detect shoppers who are within stepping distance of their stores with the Wifarer smartphone app. Once downloaded, a shopper’s smartphone data is pulled through a Wi-Fi connection, constantly updated, and sent back to retailers. Sound creepy? Kind of, but it’s a potential goldmine for sales, and here’s why: As the location info is shared with retailers, the stores can ping a coupon or promotion to the shopper at the right place and time. “We equate it to Google Adwords for the physical world,” says Philip Stanger, the CEO and cofounder of Wifarer. [CNET]