Macy's Announces iBeacon Expansion, Support for Apple Pay

Macy's today announced plans to expand its partnership with Shopkick, which will see more than 4000 shopBeacon devices installed in Macy's stores across the United States by the end of September.

Macy's and Shopkick originally teamed up in November of 2013 to roll out the first retail based iBeacons, allowing customers to access location-specific deals, discounts, and recommendations in the Shopkick app while in a Macy's retail store. Customers will get these types of notifications in all Macy's locations beginning this fall, and in early 2015, Macy's will be able to offer discounts tailored by specific departments in each store.

As announced on Sept. 9, 2014, Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores will be among the first retailers to support the new Apple PayTM mobile payment system which will be available beginning this fall on new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus mobile devices, as well as on the newly unveiled Apple Watch. The convenience of mobile payment at the point-of-sale is becoming increasingly interesting to customers, and Apple Pay offers an opportunity to further simplify the point-of-sale process in Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores in an easy, secure and private manner. More details will be available in October, when the new service is scheduled to launch.

Macy's has also announced several other plans for technological improvements across its retail stores, including revamped apps, same day delivery in select markets, new handheld point-of-sale devices, smart fitting rooms, and more.