• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, November 2, 2015

Just as there’s been a never-ending discussion between apps vs. mobile websites, there now may be a similar debate between beacons vs. Wi-Fi for in-store marketing.

While beacons have taken mindshare and budgets, their use is still somewhat limited, notes a new report.

Wi-Fi indoor location application revenue is expected to hit $2.5 billion by 2020, according the report by ABI Research.

While the research firm says Wi-Fi is in a precarious position as an indoor location and analytics tool, it still may have an edge.

This is because Wi-Fi is ubiquitous on smartphones and available in more than half of major retail stores in the U.S., giving it massive reach and an edge over beacons for in-store analytics.

Even while proximity advertising makes the news, retailers are getting more tuned in to in-store analytics, which represents a major evolution in people counting and loyalty programs, according to the report.

This data can be used to streamline store layouts, improve staffing, measure advertising performance and enhance loyalty programs as part of a more robust smartphone approach.

However, as beacons get deployed by the thousands throughout the retail world, highly targeted shopper interaction is growing.

We know from numerous studies that a number of shoppers are totally open to receiving targeted messaging as they shop.

They are not likely to care if the messaging occurred because of beacons, Wi-Fi or some other connected objects.

They just want messaging that matters to them at the right time.