UPD Marks and Spencer UK Stores Trial FREE Wireless WiFi Internet Access

The Cloud (BSkyB), a public UK WiFi Hotspot operator, has announced that the popular Marks and Spencer (M&S) high street retail chain has begun trials of a free wireless internet service across 10 of its stores.

The operator claims that shoppers will be encouraged to use the service by tagging QR codes that will be dotted throughout the relevant store walls. Unfortunately The Cloud doesn’t mention which stores have been included in the trial or how long the test itself will last.

TheCloud Statement

Not only will customers be able to discover more about the in-store products via WiFi [i.e. customer reviews and menus from their ‘Food to Go’ section], they will also be able to see the full range of M&S products not available in smaller stores and purchase online – so it’s a way of expanding the store (virtually), while the customer is inside the venue.

UPDATE 16th March 2012

The Cloud has also announced the successful roll-out of in-store free WiFi at Edinburgh’s luxury Harvey Nichols store, as well as a separate nationwide deployment in Mamas & Papas’ 60 branches across the UK.