Dive Brief:

• Beacon technologies are rapidly moving out of beta testing stage and into more retail stores, according to a new report from BI Intelligence. 
• Beacon-triggered messages are expected to result in up to $4.1 billion in retail sales this year, and grow tenfold in 2016.
• In-store apps that enable beacons to work effectively will become more prevalent among retailers, helping consolidate couponing and loyalty programs. 

Dive Insight:

Low in cost but big in impact, beacon technologies are hitting the mainstream, according to a report from BI Intelligence. When attached to walls in-store, beacons can send alerts to customer smartphones to tell them about special offers, store schematics, and other information.

Multiple companies including Apple manufacture beacon units, which eliminate the need for GPS systems and instead operate based on proximity. In-store coupons, loyalty programs, and payments are expected to help ramp up adoption, if customers are willing to opt in to store apps that receive beacon messages.