Social Wi-Fi : Profitable Wireless for your Business

Social Wi-Fi enables businesses, regardless of size the ability to offer a free Wi-Fi service that combines with it's customer's social media accounts. Offering free Wi-Fi in customer facing businesses originally appeared as a value-add however in 2014 it's almost as expected as a functioning WC.

From the early days involving awkwardly asking a hotel receptionist; restauranteur or 'Big Mick' in the Red Lion for the network password, you'll have to agree the process has become slightly easier in line with public expectation. The current issues involve how best to offer access, more interestingly how to turn the situation to an easy win/win.

Offering a completely open network carries a legion of problems and potential threats to anyone that it belongs to. If customers choose to use your Wi-Fi irresponsibly (albeit heavy downloading, indecent material, streaming Coldplay) it is ultimately your liability as an operator. Contention may arise around certain aspects of legality however anyone paying witness to the embarrassing news story exposing unfiltered free Wi-Fi at a cathedral clearly shows that it simply doesn't make for good press.

Enter the dawn of Social Wi-Fi and the ability to offer simple access, reducing any need for you or your staff to aid customers with logging on. Benefits become instantaneous, below are a choice few:

• System acts as a CRM, giving you valuable information about your customers
• Makes device management, web and content filtering easier to deploy
• Easily offer promotions, vouchers, in-store deals and individually tailored marketing direct to smart-phones.
• Providing a method of accessing the Wi-Fi services that customers feel at ease with
• Displaying your business/brand across multiple social media platforms – increasing brand capital
• Automatic Facebook ‘likes’ and pre-determined messages enable you to tailor the content
• Branded home pages/landing pages deliver a fully customisable path that all customers will view
• Automatic login upon their return, further enriching the customer’s experience

According to a recent consumer survey 43% of UK shoppers now use smartphones whilst on the move to compare prices and read product reviews (up from 19% last year)

Although retailers may fear usage for price comparison, and 60.8% of smartphone owners are using in-store Wi-Fi for this, many other activities can be hugely beneficial.For example, 57.3% are actually using Wi-Fi to find product reviews, something indicating they are close to making a purchase and simply require some reassurance (and there's much that shops can do to assist here)
47.2% are searching offers to use in-store, while 36.5% are browsing the store's website. Both very positive activities for stores.
Access to real-time marketing information enables retailers to personalise the offers and vouchers sent out to customers in-store. Offers can be sent as the customer is physically browsing in store or used as a way to incentivise the customer to return e.g a clothing store offering a discount on purchases made during a subsequent visit.
Social Wi-Fi can deliver reporting akin to Google analytics for your shop. Find out who is shopping, how long they stay, how often they return, and their demographics.

For more information on the benefits Social Wi-Fi can offer your business (for as little as £29 per month) feel free to message us here