Consumers today expect Wi-Fi to be free in shops, bars, restaurants and other outlets, and venues that do not offer it soon notice a decline in footfall and profits.

• 75% of people say that a week without Wi-Fi would be worse than a week without coffee (source: Iconic Displays)
• 94% of people cite Wi-Fi as the most important hotel amenity (source: HotelChatter)

Although Wi-Fi has become a commodity, someone has to pay for it: usually the retailer or hotelier. Wouldn’t it be good to receive something in return for offering free Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi On Demand (WOD) is a service that gives you vital information on who is using your Wi-Fi, where they are and how often they come back. The first time they log in (typically using a social media account), they give you permission to see their profile and to store their details for future reference. The next time they visit your premises they log in automatically, and you can welcome them back or make them aware of special events or offers.

Establishing and developing this contact with your customers can help to generate greater attraction and loyalty to your brand, as you can offer your customers valuable incentives such as vouchers or special offers, in addition to the free Wi-Fi.

• One in two shoppers will make a large in-store purchase if Wi-Fi is available (source: Accenture)
• 74% of respondents would be happy for a retailer to send a text or email with promotions while they’re using in-store Wi-Fi. (source: OnDevice Research)

Your advantage is that you receive their personal profile details, which can include information such as their date of birth, email address, and other data to enable you to create a valuable dialogue with them. If you are using social media effectively to promote your business, then Wi-Fi On Demand becomes a central part of your offer. Analysis of the data gives you valuable insights into the demographics of your customers. For example, are you missing out on younger shoppers, or are your hotel guests predominantly males travelling on business?

At Connect-it, we believe that businesses should be able to communicate whenever and wherever they wish. To help them do this, we provide end-to-end communications services. This includes provisioning telephone and broadband lines, as well as supplying hardware and licences and managing the service. We specialise in cloud-hosted communications systems, and services such as Wi-Fi on Demand. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or are looking for any information on how to future-proof your telecoms, please contact us on 03456 885 122 or info@connect-it.co. We’ll be in touch.