The exploding popularity of Wi-Fi-enabled tablets and smartphones has empowered today’s shoppers with the ability to shop online while in a retail store. Retailers have long used wireless local area networks (WLAN) for their internal use, but research by Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) shows 56 percent of retailers are currently planning to offer guest access to shoppers in the next five years as one of the ways to improve the customer experience. Retailers want to provide simple and secure connections to their shoppers, engaging them with product reviews and in-store coupons, while gaining valuable insight and providing a better shopping experience.

Motorola’s new WiNG 5 Secure Access is a cloud-based solution that addresses two provisioning challenges for retailers and enterprises today: secured guest access and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Motorola’s Secure Access combines zero-touch on-boarding of the widest range of consumer smartphones with flexible authentication methods, including Facebook®, Google™ and LinkedIn®, while securing the connections with a Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) encryption, which ensures shoppers’ connections and transactions are secure. Motorola’s award-winning WiNG 5-distributed WLAN architecture, combined with Secure Access and Motorola’s Wi-Fi analytics solution, provides retailers insight into shoppers’ browsing behavior and online activity.

With 77 percent of retailers planning to connect shoppers’ online activities with what they do in the store, the shoppers’ ability to quickly and easily utilize the guest network becomes crucial. To address this need, Motorola is also unveiling the new AP 6522, adding to its broad portfolio of access points to help retailers handle the increasing number of Wi-Fi devices and bandwidth-heavy applications that will be connecting to the wireless network as a result of this new technology. Motorola’s wide range of retail solutions provide services tailored to support businesses’ needs by planning, deploying and managing retailers’ WLAN networks with guest access capabilities and analytics reporting. As part of Motorola’s Future Vision of Retail, these end-to-end solutions help brick-and-mortar retailers grow their in-store sales, stay competitive with online alternatives and reduce the amount of customers who are “showrooming.”

KEY FACTS

• Motorola’s Secure Access solution makes in-store customer hotspot registration a simple one-time process, and the captive portal then automatically authorizes that user’s device for future visits to any store within the chain.
• The secure WPA2/AES encryption enables shoppers to keep their browsing private, securely access cloud-based shopping lists, make mobile payments from their smartphones and perform a wide variety of WLAN functions such as download mobile coupons, get self help and watch product videos directly from their Wi-Fi connection.
• Motorola’s analytics solution provides real-time information across all store locations about a shopper’s behavior, including automated check-in, types of Wi-Fi-connected devices being used, frequency of visits and time spent in the store.
• Analytics also give retailers access to the history of active users and their activity across stores, including a summary of websites and search terms most commonly used, products browsed and online product purchases. This level of analytics empowers retailers to turn shoppers into buyers by gaining insight into their needs, habits, tendencies and more.
• Retailers can implement secure mobile point-of-sale and self-checkout with 802.1x device authentication and use a WiNG 5 ICSA-certified firewall along with Motorola’s AirDefense for Payment Card Industry and Data Security Standard compliance.
• The AP 6522 is a multipurpose access point designed to lower the cost of deploying and operating a secure, reliable 802.11n WLAN. With its WiNG 5 intelligence, this access point offers high throughput along with direct forwarding, security, QoS services and site survivability.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

Imran Akbar, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Networks & Communications, Motorola Solutions

“Motorola Solutions now has a best-in-class, secure guest access solution, which makes it an ideal choice for retailers considering in-store Wi-Fi for shoppers and BYOD alternatives for shoppers and employees. Our Wi-Fi analytics, combined with a shopper’s social networking profile, give retailers access to shopper activities and habits they can turn into actionable engagements.”

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

Website: Motorola Wireless LAN Solutions

Website: Motorola Retail Solutions

Website: Motorola Global Solutions and Services

Twitter: @MotWireless

Twitter: @MotoRetail

Video: The Role of Wireless Networks in the Future of Retail

White Paper: 6 Strategies to Ensure Your Wireless Network Delivers Enhanced Experiences

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “MSI.” To learn more, visit www.motorolasolutions.com. For ongoing news, please visit our media center or subscribe to our news feed.

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