Target to start beaming coupons to your phone -- while you shop

Posted: 8:17 a.m. | Updated: 9:27 a.m.

Target Corporation will start testing a new technology on Wednesday that will automatically offer discounts and suggested products through customers' iPhones.

The program syncs the company's smartphone app with a customer's location in a store to offer what Target says in a post on their website will be "timely deals and recommendations on nearby products."

The system uses beacons located in departments across the store to transmit the signals by Bluetooth to customers' phones.

Target spokesperson Eddie Baeb described the technology as similar to a newsfeed on a social media page.

"Let's say you're in groceries, that then becomes the top item on your banner, you can either see a carousel of recommended products or a maybe a coupon that you can add and easily scan when you check out," Baeb said.

Someone shopping for clothes may receive a notification that a product nearby is trending on the photo-sharing site Pinterest, Baeb said. Or someone in the grocery aisle may be notified about a deal on cheese.

The company is also working to create a way for customers to sort their shopping lists as they move through the store or to receive automatic reminders to pick up items like milk, Baeb said.

The feature will be tested at 50 locations nationwide, including at stores in Chicago, Denver and 15 stores in the Twin Cities.

The company says customers won't need to fear being inundated with notifications from the app because they're limiting the number of pop-ups to two per store visit. Customers must also opt-in on their iPhones to enable the technology. It's not yet available for Android phones.

The company plans to expand the service to more stores around the country later this year.