Somerset, NJ – Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) company and global leader in lighting, today announced it has expanded its innovative LED connected lighting indoor positioning system in North America. At the LIGHTFAIR International tradeshow in San Diego, the company announced a new luminaire, the Philips Day-Brite LED Linear Suspended LBX, adding to its award-winning indoor positioning portfolio, which has been deployed successfully with retailers Carrefour in France and aswaaq in the Middle East. The energy efficient lighting system enables retailers to provide location-based services to shoppers’ smartphones to help boost sales, drive operational efficiencies and increase customer loyalty. The Philips Day-Brite LED Linear Suspended LBX is a connected luminaire, capable of being integrated into the Philips’ indoor positioning system – where individual light points transmit their location through a modulation of light (using a technology called Visible Light Communication) that is imperceptible to the human eye but not to a smartphone camera. Upon downloading and switching on a retailer’s app, shoppers can access location-based services, for example, to plot the optimum route through the store to get items on their shopping list or to access product information or special offers and discounts. In addition, the new LBX provides the right light, ensuring evenly lit merchandise from the top shelf to the bottom shelf, while improving energy efficiency by 25% compared to conventional lighting. By being connected, retailers can simply adjust the fixture’s lighting levels to best match store activity levels, driving further energy savings. “We are not just providing energy efficient LED lighting but the next generation of indoor positioning technology to help retailers keep up with the demands of modern shoppers,” said Amy Huntington, President of Philips Lighting Americas. “Around the world, we have already delivered on projects that demonstrate the potential of the Philips LED-based indoor positioning system and location analytics. It’s clear that shoppers want and expect these innovations, and we have an unmatched ability to deliver end-to-end systems and services that empower retailers to deliver them.” A recent Philips study revealed that more than 50% of retail consumers in the US plan to use in-store retail apps powered with location-aware features. This research identified a particular demand for location-aware retail apps for DIY customers, with usage of such apps predicted to grow from 19% today to 57% in the future. “Philips Lighting has added a new suspended luminaire in North America to its expanding indoor positioning portfolio. In March, at the Light and Building trade show in Frankfurt, it demonstrated the ability to provide location-based services indoors to an accuracy of around 15-30cm, which greatly improves upon alternative location-based technologies such as beacons and GPS,” said Paul Bremner, Senior Analyst (Lighting) at IHS. To support US retailers in the rollout of location-based services, Philips provides an offering in partnership with Aisle411, a leader in digital store mapping, product search and analytics. Philips also works with partners on retail app development, and provides the Philips indoor positioning software development kit, as well as technical backend and implementation support.
Melissa Kanter Philips Lighting Tel: +1 (732) 563-3994 E-mail: melissa.kanter@philips.com
The Philips patented indoor positioning system does not read information on a shopper’s smartphone and no shopper data or personal data is being stored via the app or software. Each light fixture transmits a one-way stream of digital information using Visible Light Communication (VLC). This one-way data stream is undetectable to the human eye but is picked up by the camera on the smartphone. The shopper opts into the service by downloading the retailer’s app. The coded location information is used by the app to provide location-based services. The shopper can turn off the app at any time.
Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) company, is the global leader in lighting products, systems and services. Our understanding of how lighting positively affects people coupled with our deep technological know-how enable us to deliver digital lighting innovations that unlock new business value, deliver rich user experiences and help to improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we sell more energy efficient LED lighting than any other company. We lead the industry in connected lighting systems and services, leveraging the Internet of Things to take light beyond illumination and transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. In 2015, we had sales of EUR 7.4 billion and employed 33,000 people worldwide. News from Philips Lighting is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.