Hasta La Creative!

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores wants to retarget its in-store Wi-Fi users with ads served online. The craft supply and fabric seller recently enabled Wi-Fi in all of its 850 stores across the U.S., something the firm considers “table-stakes” for any modern retailer. But those Wi-Fi connections, in conjunction with the registration data gathered from those opting-in to use them, will also allow the retailer to learn more about shopper behavior and to build digital identities that help link shoppers’ physical in-store visits to other data about them.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have been trying to increase sales through a variety of technologies and data offerings, such as mobile location data showing whether their ads influenced people to visit their stores, or beacons, which help determine where in stores people linger while shopping. While Wi-Fi seems like a basic provision for large retailers, for Jo-Ann, it is a relatively cost-effective means of obtaining an important data key to link their physical interaction with the brand to their online identities.

In order to connect to store Wi-Fi and in exchange for coupons — 20% off an entire purchase, for example — Jo-Ann requires shoppers to provide an email address, a standard requirement for most such Wi-Fi connections. The company is turning that information into customer insights for use in future marketing by working with partner Euclid Analytics, a firm that serves multi-location retail brands and quick-serve restaurants, helping them generate real-time identification via Wi-Fi registration for customers who visit their locations.

Continue reading at AdAge.com