Beacon Devices: An Overview
Beacons are tine, a Bluetooth-powered wireless objects that allow mobile apps and websites to scan when someone is within the range of a location. There are deployed in store, usually on the ceiling where they can be configured to broadcast relevant, localised information to portable devices within their set parameters. Common use case where retailers will use beacons to engage when a customer is within the vicinity, so they can send them personalized notifications with relevant information, like an upcoming promotions, coupons or discount. This type of location-based marketing technique is known as PROXIMITY MARKETING.
Beacons are being tied to trusted devices and their users, to be agreed and tracked when they’re within the range. For example, the customer were to walk around a mall walking past a restaurant with beacons deployed, the beacon would shoot out packets of data, which is picked up by a mobile app, triggering a specific action or an automatic notification. Beacons don’t send notification themselves. What they really perform is send a packet of coordinate information, a unique identifier(uri), to the mobile applications within their range (1-50 metres).
Every beacon has it owns unique identifier, where it can contains up to three type of data. First, information about the beacon vendor, second information about a certain location, such as the shop location; lastly an information about a specific ub spaces within a shop, such as the entrance of the store.
These tiny devices can emit BLE signals for up to 5 years and very affordable to obtain.
Beacons & Proximity: The uses of beacon technology in Proximity Marketing
According to ABI Research Report,The Location of Things (LOT) reveals that total BLE beacon shipments will exceed 400 million units in 2020. This tremendous number will bring means to new marketing opportunities easily accessible and very promising. Retailers are definitely more welcoming and keep to adopt these devices in their marketing strategy mix to retain and engage their customers through personalized information. Here’s an overview of some of the opportunities for retailers.
Data Gathering
Retailers can find the high-traffic locations in their shopthrough heatmap, and then optimize the shop and merchandise layouts and enhance their product placement based on navigational patterns. Data will also provide them which customers visit the store most often, or to those who regularly spend on a particular products. This means that beacons have the ability to track user behaviours and collect relevant data about users preference and actions. Retailers can leverage on this information to re-target their customer with much more relevant promotions or campaigns.
Beacons with Geo-Locations
Retailers could enable prospect or existing customer to drive foot traffic to their store. For example, a couple is having a walk around a park and a restaurant nearby could send a location-based notifications to users within the range of a specific beacons and encourage them to enter the store to have a free glass of wine on the house.
These strategies are very powerful tactics to drive traffic to retail stores and no doubt increasing their conversion rate and revenue. The uses of beacons can increased engagement through a direct line of communications with customers.
To find out more about how targeted beacons marketing can help you, contact us at [email protected].