• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, August 5, 2015

The Internet of Things will impact the entire shopping process in a big way.

There also are a lot of questions around the behavioral transformation of shoppers, many of which will be addressed today at the MediaPost IoT: Shopping conference in New York.

Retailers, brands and agencies all are looking at the potential impact on what they do and how they do it. Many are looking to get ahead of the curve.

At today’s conference, there will be several looks at some of the bright shiny objects around IoT.

Some of these insights will come from those developing the future, from agencies and their innovation labs. These include IPG Media Lab, GroupM Next, Isobar and The Science Project. These experts will put the objects in perspective.

Much of the IoT shopping exploration is around various aspects of the consumer experience, ranging from in-store to post-purchase, when items bought will come with built-in technologies that can constantly communicate.

One of the issues on the table these days is the great beacon rollout. Many retailers have been experimenting with beacons for more than year now and some are set for major implantations even as more trials start.

For example, Target just announced  a 50-store beacon test program in several markets, including Chicago, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco.

And beacons are just the tip of the IoT iceberg.

It’s still relatively early for the advertising and marketing aspects of IoT, but they are coming like a speeding train.

The technological infrastructure for connected devices has been cooking for several years and connected objects are being announced faster than we can count.

All of that IoT platform connectivity will tie the objects and machines together.

To link the value of all of that connectivity to actual people will require the developments of new and innovative messaging methods.

And that’s where the brands, retailers, marketers and agencies come in.

And that’s what some of the leading thinkers in the industry will be focused on discussing today at IoT Shopping.