Australia's St George Bank has begun trialling iBeacon technology in branches, pinging information to customers' iPhones when they enter the building.
The Bluetooth Low Energy tech has been installed in three Sydney branches so that a bank iPad sends a welcome message and tailored information directly to customer iPhones. Recipients can respond to the message or cancel the interaction.
A similar trial is taking place in New Zealand at St George's parent, WestPac.
The bank says that the trial is designed to get customer feedback on whether the new technology "genuinely meets their needs" and improves interaction. A decision will then be made on whether to roll out iBeacons across its branch network.
George Frazis, CEO, St George, says: "The iBeacon trial forms part of a broader investment in our retail branches that will see more digital technology and increased staff expertise to make banking simpler, easier and faster for our customers."
St George CIO, Dhiren Kulkarni, has also told ZDNet that the bank plans to ditch its online system next year as it rolls out an integrated mobile platform for all digital channels.