In a move that reflects the changes jolting the retail sector, the Lowe’s home improvement chain has struck a deal to showcase technology products sold by Palo Alto’s B8ta within its stores.
The Lowe’s outlet in Livermore has installed a 400-square-foot section that lets customers get their hands on B8ta’s still-unfamiliar home technology devices, including smart doorbells, lightbulbs, security cameras, garage door openers and lawn sprinklers.
It’s one of three SmartSpot Powered by B8ta sections Lowe’s has installed. The others are opening in Lowe’s Burbank (Los Angeles County) and Aliso Viejo (Orange County) outlets.
The display devices are placed on tables and not boxed up, so customers can play with them. Crucially, each product has an iPad next to it, to demonstrate how the device works and what colors are available, and to explain why it might benefit the customer. B8ta monitors the type of information shoppers look for on the iPads and whether changes in how the product is displayed — in terms of color, for example — increase or decrease sales. Collecting continuous data on customer preferences, a core methodology of B8ta, is increasingly crucial to retailers.
In a move that reflects the changes jolting the retail sector, the Lowe’s home improvement chain has struck a deal to showcase technology products sold by Palo Alto’s B8ta within its stores.