Purple, the intelligent spaces company, and Rapier Systems are delivering high speed WiFi and content filtering to visitors and residents of Kirkcaldy town centre. As a result, the town has seen a growth in traffic on the WiFi network and a 208% increase in social media engagement.
In early 2016, Rapier Systems reached out to Kirkcaldy 4 All, the Business Improvement District (BID) for Kirkcaldy, to convince them to implement Purple’s WiFi and analytics solution in the town centre. Public WiFi had previously been rolled out but Kirkcaldy 4 All had opted to turn it off due to a lack of return. The system was deemed unreliable, provided no form of analytics and contributed little in terms of improving visitor engagement and profits for local businesses.
Rapier Systems proved successful with its bid and in July 2016 the team overlaid Purple onto existing Ruckus wireless equipment. Since going live the solution has achieved a good level of traction, with almost 12,000 people logging on to the network. When an individual accesses the network their name, age, gender, visitor location and even frequency of visits is captured in the Purple portal.
Commenting on the Purple solution, Bill Harvey, Manager of Kirkcaldy 4 All, said: “We are delighted to be working with both Rapier Systems and Purple. We are in the process of harvesting the data that is derived from the analytics package and are using it to provide businesses with a profile of the people using the town centre.”
Users of all ages can now browse the internet, access APPs, update their social media accounts and read emails with peace of mind that no inappropriate content can be accessed thanks to Purple’s content filtering solution. 68% of WiFi users access the network via their social media accounts and the official Facebook page for Kirkcaldy has received 2,387 likes in the last year. Prior to Purple, the Facebook page received an average of 755 likes per a year, so this is a 208% increase.
The CRM data is being used to distribute communications about upcoming events and offers to Kirkcaldy visitors. A number of communications were sent out during the 2016 festive period which helped to significantly increase visitor numbers. These communications included emails about a Christmas family firework event and information about Christmas gifts, parking and dining venues.
Bill adds: “Destination 66, the company that oversees our social and digital media output, also utilises the information when designing and sending out our e-shots. From a Kirkcaldy 4 All standpoint this partnership is not only proving to be very successful but also invaluable for the businesses that we support.”
Commenting on the WiFi installation in Kirkcaldy, Gavin Wheeldon, CEO of Purple said: “I love hearing great customer success stories like Kirkcaldy. The Purple solution has transformed the towns WiFi network from something that generated little return, to something which is increasing visitor numbers, improving communications and growing social media interaction. I hope that Kirkcaldy continues to see great benefits from using the Purple platform.”