The continuing expansion of free Wi-Fi access is gaining momentum with the announcement that McDonald’s is planning to remove access charges in its restaurants that offer Wi-Fi. Their hope is that you’ll grab a coffee, a shake or some fries while you’re there, but within a month or so, you won’t have to.
Wi-Fi access is increasingly shifting toward something customers expect, and if your business depends on local traffic, you should consider offering it. A laundromat that offers Wi-Fi to customers waiting for their clothes to dry is going to have an advantage over a competitor who only offers those local real-estate publications or months-old newsweeklies.
Like most coffee shops or restaurants that offer Wi-Fi, McDonald’s is hoping to attract customers outside its traditional lunch and dinner rushes, and to encourage remote workers or sales people to stop by and hang out for a bit. I’d imagine the lighting and decor of the average McDonald’s are probably a bit too bright to foster extended work sessions, but we’ll see.
More and more, companies and service providers see offering Wi-Fi as a competitive advantage. Motels, coffee shops and public libraries have long (in Wi-Fi terms) offered free access, and now transportation providers are getting on the Wi-Fi bandwagon.
Airlines are increasingly offering in-flight access, and in the Northeast United States, low-cost inter-city buses are using free Wi-Fi access as a powerful lure to attract business travelers who would otherwise take a train. Climb on in New York, and you can enjoy free Wi-Fi all the way to Boston or Washington – a claim Amtrak can’t make. (The railroad is trying to expand its Wi-Fi service, but community opposition to the construction of new cell sites in coastal areas could slow down those efforts).
Does Wi-Fi lead to increased sales? Maybe not directly, but in markets where companies are fighting to distinguish themselves from customers, it can provide a powerful tie-breaker.
