Beacons
Beacons are a type of a low-cost, micro-location-based technology that use Bluetooth low energy (BLE 4.0) and can be attached to any location or object, from walls and counter-tops to people and products. They broadcast tiny radio signals which smartphones can receive and interpret, unlocking micro-location and contextual awareness.
With the appropriate software development kit, mobile applications on your customers’ smartphones are able to understand their proximity to nearby locations and objects, recognizing their type, ownership, approximate location, temperature and motion.
Proximity Advertising: Offer discounts and personalized offers for the items your customers are really interested in
Indoor Positioning: Allow navigation indoors, where GPS signal is unavailable
Places of Interest: Send contextual information with greater precision and relevance
Smart Signage: Offer relevant content from signs and digital displays as your customers walk by
Home Automation: Create homes of the future or automate the garage door – It’s up to you
Retail industry:
- Send offers and discounts to a customer when he is near a product or a certain shelf
- Send a push when an old customer is nearby. After greeting, you can also check previous searches in your shop to let him know if what he was searching for is now in stock or on sale
- Combine social with beacons and use promotions, contests and challenges to get your loyal customers to bring in new people or even make it easier for them to promote the store
Hospitality Industry:
- Use gamification in order to reward your customers: venue mayor, daily mayor, challenges.
- Outside hotels, you can detect an existing client by checking his data with booking data. That allows you to surprise your client: have the key and info filled out ready, prepare questions regarding his usual meals, drinks, activities
- Automated check-in
Tourism and tourist attractions (i.e. Museums):
- Take self guided tours
- Find points of interest and/or receive maps and info when walking into a museum
- Based on the phone’s language setting, allow employees to know before hand what language to speak in
Education Industry:
- Use beacons as digital bulletin boards for courses or buildings for students
- See if your child is in class or if he is skipping, if he arrived late or not
- Teachers can broadcast information about their classes or exams
Healthcare:
- Drug stores can promote free check-ups to bypassers
- Hospitals can offer detailed maps with elevators and guides
- Hospitals can promote any event taking place
Entertainment industry:
- Offer location based recommendations
- When passing by a cinema, receive vouchers or information with what’s playing
- Super fast check-in at events with geo fencing
Travel:
- Install beacons in airports to offer information where the check-in gates or the exits are
- In train stations, passengers can receive information about any delays and what track they should be on
- Travel agencies can use previous or public data to send personalized offers
