Beacons could soon become the best friend of a Retail, helping to collect consumer data and interact with buyers. The location-based technology can be used to activate functions in smart phones of customers, including specific coupons, store maps, hands-free payment options.
How To beacons work?
Beacons are small wireless devices that constantly emit radio signals to nearby smartphones and tablets. Mobile applications can pick up these signals, which trigger actions based on the location.
What is a iBeacon?
iBeacon is Apple’s version of a lighthouse and is an off-the-shelf option for retailers. Apple has filed papers with the Federal Communications Commission, suggesting to be manufactured hardware, however at this time, iBeacon is integrated into the latest version of Apple’s iOS mobile operating system 7 and system.
As it stands, allows iPads and iPhones iBeacon to constantly scan for nearby Bluetooth devices. When iBeacon identifies a lighthouse, you can wake relevant applications on the phone with someone, even when an application is closed and not running in the background. In addition, iPads and iPhones can act as beacons; issuable beacon signals for applications in awakening other iOS devices.
Rooted in the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology iBeacons Apple are already proving to have more potential in terms of real world application and absorption. First, the range of NFC is small. That’s the point; you have to physically “touch” to connect. The range for iBeacons is up to 50 meters, however, the accuracy reported to be outstanding. Before iBeacons devices relied on GPS and Wi-Fi triangulation to pin point a location. iBeacons to place a few meters using BLE (Bluetooth low energy) – a smarter version of Bluetooth which is not affected by physical barriers and uses almost no battery life.
What Beacons Mean for Retailers?
While NFC retailers offered the novelty factor, which does not meet a genuine need. IBeacon However, for the first time, offers retailers a simple and cost effective way to connect with customers – not only as they walk through the door, but as they browse, queuing for a service or make a purchase in fact. iBeacon can be used in multiple ways; to connect with clients and welcome them to the store, to send coupons and discount codes to engage with them on social networks and other online networks or payment for goods. iBeacon has the potential to help with marketing, customer retention, data collection and sales.
Although very soft launch of Apple, iBeacons are causing a stir among retailers, with some already rolling technology in stores. Lord & Taylor Stores in the USA and select retailers Hudson Bay in Canada will be launching iBeacons in store in the coming weeks, to provide information to customers in the future of shopping. Users will need to have the corresponding application pre-loaded on your iPhone or iPad to see the notifications.
So is this the future of shopping? One thing seems clear: the battle for space mobile location-tracking is turned on. Some ideas are half. As iBeacons? Many will be watching the Apple turnover. Again, they seem to steal the spotlight.
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