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Shoppermotion vs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth phone tracking

Phone tracking locates shoppers' own devices when their Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is on. Shoppermotion locates tags on trolleys and baskets, with no personal devices involved.

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Wi-Fi tracking listens for the signals phones send while looking for known networks, and Bluetooth beacon approaches usually need a specific app installed and active. Both can reuse existing infrastructure and work well for coarse presence in large spaces such as malls or airports. But they only see phones with the radio switched on, location updates are infrequent, and randomised MAC addresses make following a device harder.

Shoppermotion does not rely on shoppers' phones. The Bluetooth tag sits on the shopping tool and is located with Angle of Arrival antennas, giving sub-metre positions that tell which bay a trolley stopped at. No personal device is involved, as explained in our privacy article.

For a broader view, see our comparison of top technologies for in-store analytics.

Side by side

Criterion	Shoppermotion	Wi-Fi / Bluetooth tracking
What is tracked	Tags on trolleys and baskets	Shoppers' phones
Shoppers covered	Those using a trolley or basket	Only phones with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on, or with the app
Accuracy	Sub-metre, bay level	Coarse, zone or store level
Full path inside the store	Yes, entrance to till	Gaps between infrequent updates
Link to the receipt	Each trip matched with its ticket	Not built in
Personal devices	None involved	Relies on personal phones
Infrastructure	Ceiling anchors and tags	Existing Wi-Fi or beacons
Typical use	Supermarkets and hypermarkets	Malls, airports, large venues

Last reviewed: 2026-09. General comparison of technologies; results depend on each deployment.

Choose Shoppermotion if

You need bay-level positions in a store with aisles, not rough zones.
You want coverage that does not depend on shoppers' phone settings or apps.
You want each trip matched with its receipt for conversion and attribution.
You prefer to measure shopping tools and leave personal devices out of it.

Consider the alternative if

You manage a large venue such as a mall or airport where coarse presence and long visits matter more than aisle detail.
You want to reuse your Wi-Fi network without adding hardware.
You already run an app with an engaged user base and want to message those users in store.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Does Shoppermotion track shoppers' phones?

No. The Bluetooth tag is on the trolley or basket. Shoppers do not need a phone, an app or Bluetooth switched on.

Why is phone tracking less precise in supermarkets?

Phones are located only occasionally and at room or zone level, so short trips through narrow aisles leave gaps. Randomised MAC addresses make it harder still.

Is Angle of Arrival the same as a Bluetooth beacon?

No. With Angle of Arrival, antenna arrays on the ceiling measure the angle of the tag's signal to compute its position with sub-metre accuracy. Classic beacon setups rely on a phone app to detect the beacon.

Other comparisons

Shoppermotion vs cameras→Cameras analyse images of people in their field of view. Shoppermotion locates tagged trolleys and baskets and matches each anonymous trip with its receipt.Shoppermotion vs people counters→People counters measure entries and exits at the door. Shoppermotion records what happens between the entrance and the till, and links it to the receipt.Shoppermotion vs receipt data alone→Receipt data tells you what was bought. Shoppermotion adds the path that led to it, and matches every anonymous trip with its ticket.

See your store the way your shoppers do.

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