Beacons are changing the retail industry!
Beacons have been taking the world of mobile by storm, having the potential to revolutionize the ent
Beacon technology became a massive step forward in the ambient context identification, being a unique tool of advertising and merchandising. Beacon in wireless technology is the concept of transmitting little pieces of information, the signal from a beacon being essentially used to send out specific app notifications relevant to the location and time.
The beacon was introduced by Apple, under the name iBeacon, however, there are numerous beacon producers around the world. They are inexpensive, small and often battery-powered devices that can be discreetly placed in retail, entertainment, hospitality, transport, healthcare, outdoor media and private locations to enable a wide variety of use cases.
Beacons are especially popular in the retail sales front, mainly because they offer the possibility to reach consumers on the most opportune moment, and so the shelves and store displays can become interactive and personalized. Shops have the opportunity to broaden their limits and extend past the store floor or shelf to deliver a message in a personalized, digital form of outreach.
An example of a scenario could be the following: a customer carrying a smartphone, walks into a commercial center. When an app installed on the consumer’s phone detects a Beacon, it communicates the relevant data to its server, which produces an action, it could be just a message ‘’check out X-Brand, aisle 5 for huge discounts”. The message can include special offers, helpful reminders; depending on the app as well: mobile payments, shopper analytics and implementation outside retail, at airports, theme parks, and so on.
In this situation, Beacon sends a part of information to everyone via BLE. But what is a BLE? A wireless personal area network technology, designed for low energy consumption and cost. BLE advertising is a one way communication method, with a broadcast range of up to 100 meters, making Beacon excellent for indoor location tracking and awareness. Coming back to our specific situation, the beacons will send information like a unique identification number of the Beacon and two numbers (major and minor). Further, the application from phone read this information and whether it will recognize a Beacon will decide to post an offer on the phone display, send a notification to user, and so on.
With their ability to provide real - world insights and location - triggered mobile engagements, beacons are receiving a significant attention rate. This technology should represent the ideal example of a shift in the way brands communicate to their consumers, making the beacon a valuable location tool in any modern retailer’s toolset.
