Consumer Study Suggests Apple's iBeacon Could Work for Retailers

There has recently been chatter suggesting that the future of zapping digital offerings into consumers’ smart phones is indeed finally here, thanks in large part to Apple's iBeacon technology (not to mention the emergence of wearable devices like Google Glass).

At the same time, there will be no mobile retail marketing working the magic of a Nathan's Hot Dogs coupon appearing on your phone, New York Mets fan, as you walk into Citi Field next summer -- unless you consent to your location and other data being used by the ballpark. Well, per Swirl Network's research, people are willing to hand over those small pieces of privacy for a good deal. In the mobile marketing firm's study, 77 percent said they'd be OK with sharing location data in exchange for something of value. Swirl also found that 65 percent of respondents trust retail brands over shopping apps and tech platforms such as Google or Facebook when it comes to location data.