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Now, shoppers at Robert Simmonds clothing store in Fredericton no longer have to worry about parking time-outs. Robert Simmonds is one of 100 stores in Fredericton, Canada that is deploying BLE beacons so that consumers don’t park illegally because of timeouts. The solution is provided by the Canadian startup HotSpot Parking, which consists of a beacon provided by the Polish BLE technology company Kontakt.io, a free app HotSpot Parking. Using this solution, consumers can view parking lot payments in real-time and receive promotions from stores.
Founded in 2013, HotSpot Parking provides wireless solutions and applications designed to help consumers escape parking tickets and increase store sales. Curley explained that the lack of parking meters in stores was a major factor in the development of the parking system.
Paul Simmonds, president of Robert Simmonds, said in-store shoppers often lost business by rushing out of stores because their parking meters had expired.
HotSpot Parking and Kontakt.io have partnered to offer a beacon pilot program in Fredericton. In the beginning, they deployed beacons and offered app downloads in places including law firms, clothing stores, cafes and restaurants. So far, about 3,000 users have used the app.
First, users need to get the HotSpot Parking app on Google Play, Apple iTunes or the BlackBerry store. Next, the user can select the desired information. That way, when they park in a paid parking lot, they don’t have to physically go to the site to pay in cash. In addition, users can use the app to set the desired parking time.
When the user pays using the traditional method, the meter screen displays the time remaining. And if they paid with HotSpot Parking, the hour meter doesn’t show this information.
When a HotSpot Parking user walks into a participating store, his mobile phone receives abeaconSend a unique ID number and forward this information to HotSpot servers to identify user information. What happens next depends on the personal information the app records. For example, the system will send a custom store greeting to your phone. In addition, the system sends customer information to store salespeople, allowing them to provide a more personal service.
In addition, the app records the user’s shopping history, recording how long they stayed at a certain location. Also, the app automatically pushes coupons from the store.
The HotSpot Parking app automatically sends reminders when parking time is approaching, so users can extend their parking information. This way, merchants can prevent users from leaving the store prematurely.
The feature has already boosted store sales, Simmonds said. In this regard, Curley said, the solution has also provided a lot of help to parking authorities.
To attract the city’s participation, HotSpot Parking gave parking workers free smartphones that reprinted the HotSpot App. Currently, the city of Fredericton has begun the project. This allows them to view user parking fee payment information through a mobile app.
HotSpot is also giving new stores 12 weeks of free usage, which will be billed monthly in the future. “The way we charge is constantly changing,” Curley said.
“We want to reduce the cost of parking for potential consumers,” Curley noted. He also listed cities in North America with high Twitter followers and said the company is reaching out to mayors and councillors in those cities.
Simmonds said his goal is to install the beacon (currently aimed at women’s) in other locations of his store. At the same time, he hopes that more companies will also participate in this plan to better help users park.
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