Palo Alto – b8ta is a physical store designed to educate consumers about smart devices.
The concept is based around placing products including the Thync headband and Gi Flybike in physical stores at an earlier stage than retailers such as Target traditionally would.
Companies pay a subscription to have their products hosted in the store and in return b8ta provides real-time conversion metrics and enables brands to control how they market, sell and price their products.
‘We’re not focused on selling products,’ b8ta CEO Vibhu Norby told TechCrunch. ‘We’re focused on educating the customers about this stuff.’
Consumers and brands need to be educated about IoT-connected products and why they are important. Consider how your store can borrow from the online space. For more on new developments in technology, read our Tech Futures Report 2015.