Best Buy to Launch Location-Based Retail Experiment in 257 U.S. Stores

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), a leading retailer of consumer electronics, has announced it plans to bring a location-based retail experiment, using the “shopkick” mobile application rewards system, to 257 U.S. stores by October 1. Best Buy will examine the ways in-store shoppers value and redeem offers and rewards through their smart phones.

“We intend to explore ways we can use the power of location-based technology to personalize a Best Buy shopping experience, from check-in to check-out, with rewards and offers delivered right on a customer’s smart phone.”

Under the current plans, the “shopkick” system will be functional by August 17 in 187 Best Buy stores in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, New York City, Chicago markets, with an additional 70 stores in Dallas, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Miami markets launched by Oct. 1.

“We think consumers have more opportunities than ever to bridge their digital and physical shopping experiences, particularly through smart phones and mobile technology,” said Matthew Smith, vice president, marketing services, Best Buy. “We intend to explore ways we can use the power of location-based technology to personalize a Best Buy shopping experience, from check-in to check-out, with rewards and offers delivered right on a customer’s smart phone.”

How it works
A Best Buy customer can choose to download the free “shopkick” mobile application for their smart phone. (The “shopkick” app for iPhone is scheduled to be available August 17 on the App Store, followed by apps for additional Android-based smart phones.) When the “shopkick” app is open on the customer’s phone, it detects the “shopkick Signal” technology installed in the participating Best Buy store as the customer walks through the door. The customer then instantly receives rewards, called “kickbucks,” which can be accrued over time, then redeemed in the store or converted into Best Buy certificates through a user’s shopkick account.

Additionally, Best Buy has integrated shopkick directly into its point of sale system to streamline the redemption of special in-store offers and/or added bonuses for scanning barcodes of specific products, all of which will be sent to the user’s phone. Customers may walk up to the cashier, provide the mobile phone number connected to their shopkick account, and any applicable personalized discounts immediately appear on their receipt.

Unlike traditional GPS location-based services that require a shopper to “check in,” and offer an accuracy radius of 100 to 1,000 yards (within a block or two), the “shopkick Signal” technology requires no consumer check in and detects that a user is truly present in the retail location. And because the detection occurs on the consumer’s phone, the privacy of presence information is completely under the user’s control.

Best Buy intends to run a series of promotions and offers through the stores participating in the experiment, as variables to determine how much customers value the experience.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Mexico and Turkey, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $49 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Best Buy Mobile; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; and The Phone House. Approximately 180,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2010, we donated a combined $25.2 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bby.com