Capgemini's digital innovation principal Ben Gilchriest has urged start-ups and small companies to jump into IoT, believing it is not just the domain of the big end of town.

Gilchriest told IoT Hub that start-ups have to think about using IoT to solve business problems in the same way that large corporations do, even though their scope is usually much smaller.

While he observes the top end of town is investing heavily in IoT platforms to provide endless scalability, he believes the technology can help smaller companies solve particular business problems.

He cites Capgemini's work with a US start-up called Twyst that uses RFID technology to create a “connected bag” that can keep track of items placed in it as the shopper moves through a store.

Gilchriest said data collected from the connected bag can be combined with a customer’s purchase history, integrated with loyalty schemes, and enable the transmission of personalised promotions for the customer.

“That’s the type of thing that we get really excited about, because you’re creating a new way for people to engage with retailers which changes the shape of the physical store,” Gilchriest said.

Gilchriest said it was important for start-ups to have clear definition of what their value proposition is, and the problem they’re trying to solve.

“They need to be very focused, very specific, and then build the expertise to develop a solution.”