By Vashti Hallissey, Source: PSFK

If you want to get dolled up, who better to give you advice than the store mannequin? Three shops in the UK are trialing a system in which store dummies send messages to people via their mobile devices.

While they haven’t quite gotten the hang of Grindr yet, they will be sending customers alerts with details of what they are wearing. These could include the prices of their clothes and accessories, links to the items on the retailer’s website, as well as where they can be found in-store.

The mannequins will be wearing this season’s latest accessory, the VMBeacon. Created by technology and design company Iconeme, the beacons sense when a shopper with an enabled smartphone app is within a 50m radius both inside and outside the store. It transmits an automatic alert to the customer, which is programmed by the retailer and sent via a secure web portal.

The app invites users to view more detailed photos and product descriptions, share them with friends, save looks for later and access additional offers and rewards.

Mannequins must be earning a lot of overtime because they send messages twenty four hours a day, even when the store is closed. This brings another dimension to window shopping and could be helpful if you spot something you like after closing hours but need more information in order to make a purchase.

Read more at: PSFK