• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, January 17, 2014

The well-hyped Apple iBeacon technology is getting yet another trial beyond the walls of Apple’s own stores next month. American Eagle will deploy ShopKick’s shopBeacon implementation of the technology in 100 of its top-performing American Eagle and Aerie brand stores.

The plan calls for a network of Beacons in-store that will greet shoppers who have the Shopkick app at the front door and then direct them to location-specific deals and recommendations.

Because the technology works directly with the iOS 7 operating system, it recognizes a Shopkick user even without their having the app open. The system can also connect a user’s at-home browsing activity, such as liking an item online, to in-store promotions. Users can also opt in to having the platform tell them where in the store the product is sold.

Eventually, American Eagle and Shopkick plan to allow location-specific deals to pop up when a consumer is in a relevant area of the store.

Shopkick had announced a Beacon-powered trial with Macy’s late last year, but this deal represents the largest deployment planned thus far. The shopBeacon system will appear at stores in most of the major metro areas where stores already show good traction with Shopkick, which has been partnering with American Eagle for a number of years.