Beacons with Mobile App

Internet of things are introduces us to the world with ease. It is taking over everything. It has opened the ways where every device can connect, communicate and also perform transactions. All these things can be possible by the base of some inventive and imaginative technologies like beacon, iBeacon, BLE (Bluetooth low energy).  

What is a beacon?

Beacons are small, wireless transmitters that use low-energy Bluetooth technology to send signals to other smart devices nearby. They are the latest developments in location technology and proximity marketing. They connect and transfer information to smart devices making location-based searching and makes interaction easier and also more accurate.

How beacon technology works?

Working of Beacons Technology

Beacon is a part of indoor positioning systems. They use proximity technology to detect human presence nearby and trigger pre-set actions to deliver informational, contextual, and also personalised experiences. When a user passes through an area where indoor positioning system is set up, beacon sends a code with a message to their mobile device. Here come up the app solution. The coded message will show in the form of a notification only with mobile app. 

How it get location using the beacons?

Consider one example- You have set up the beacons in particular areas like at every corner of the floor in a corporate office. Once we have done with all the set up, each beacon will have the exact location details and it will start signal broadcasting. Now, you need an app to capture those signals and get beacon ID while it is in range of a specific mobile device. In case of multiple beacons within an area, the most accurate location is determined by the beacon which has best RSSI level.

The marketing with beacons is done by giving the indoor mapping, venue details and location based notifications to the customers. Customers can receive instant and limited offers as they walk inside the store or pass through a retail shop. This increases the store sales and develop customer loyalty with beacon technology.

Set up with Beacons-

Configure the Beacons-

Here we are able to make changes to vital information for instance, Beacon identifiers (Proximity UUID, Major, Minor, Namespace ID, Instance ID), Advertising interval, Transmission Power, notes, to name a few. We can add a custom configuration to individual beacons or multiple ones at a go.

Manage the beacons-

Using this panel, we are able to associate links, images and text with individual beacons. Further we also created managers , added and shared devices and used the location for grouping devices.

Monitor the Beacons-

This allows to monitor and control the devices, their status, updates, and usage. However, before we started with the monitoring, we had to ensure that the mobile app was permitted to use Location Services. 

Locate the Beacons-

We used this panel to collate and analyze the data we received on a beacon’s location.

What is iBeacon?

iBeacon is Apple’s implementation of Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) wireless technology to create a different way of providing location-based information and services to iPhones and also other iOS devices.

Listing iBeacon Apps-

1. BeHere app-

This app was created by a company “Beelieve” based in Brazil. The app turns a teacher’s iPad into an iBeacon that automatically identifies students as they enter the classroom with their iPhone, or iPod touch also running the same BeHere app. Best thing in app is that students can use it to ask for a teacher’s help as the class begins. They have to do is just press the button on their phone. The teacher then sees such requests in a queue and can respond as needed. Students’ profiles can also be connected to Facebook, allowing BeHere to include a profile picture, too. The app reiterates the broad potential for iBeacon technology, outside the retail environment.

2. Proximitask App-

Proximitask is an app which acts as a missing link between reminders on your phone and beacons in the real world. This app allows you to trigger reminders based on location and also proximity based on beacons. This app is mostly used in enterprises works like this: beacons placed around employees’ desks are used to quickly remind the employees about their tasks for the day. Additionally, with iOS8 enabling beacon-triggered lock screen notifications that employees can access their to-do lists with a single swipe off the lock screen – without having to receive repetitive push notifications.

3. Event base:

It is a great event managing tool. Event Base app integrates with iBeacon technology to more readily connect with attendees through instant push notifications. It displays personalized suggestions and content to its user. Most important feature of Event Base is that it provides 24/7 attendee support through an intelligent chatbot.

4. At the ballpark app-

This is extraordinary compared to other applications in the games space with some magnificent features. When a user loads the app on the way to the stadium, it suddenly identifies the stadium he/she is enroute to and starts populating data explicit to that one. As the user reaches near to the entrance, it displays the barcode of his/her ticket and directs him/her to the relevant seat via map. Also it highlights the points of interest. If the tickets were purchased online using Apple Passbook, the app even pulls them up automatically.

The app also gives other benefits such as offering directions to the shortest path, both at the entrance and at the foodcourt line where he/she is trying to purchase food. The stadium uses beacons to send out coupons and also promotions for closeby merchants. It also allows teams to track the visits made by their fans thus enabling them to reward fans with special coupons and discounts for their frequent visits.

Know more about how small businesses can use beacons for growth at our blog- How Small Businesses Can Use Beacon Technology for Growth & Engagement?

Feel free to contact us for any beacon apps development. Solace team is there to help you. Expert’s are well trained for beacon app development. They will deliver you a best app for beacons that will boost your business to the next level.

Using Beacons in your Business

What is Beacon Technology?

It will be a smart choice to connect with your client using new technology through their smartphone rather than using traditional marketing. Beacon technology is a new and fastest growing technology. Let us see what is it?

Beacon basically looks like a WiFi router device. It is an indoor positioning system that uses a proximity technology to detect the presence of human by his smartphone and performs a predefined actions to send information. Basically Beacon communication advertises through sending a small packet of data.

Beacon device

How it works?

Mainly, it is a one-way communication. Message or notification can be sent through beacon device to a person passing through a nearby beacon device. Person could not reply it because it is a one way communication. Beacons are battery-operated, Bluetooth-enabled small wireless devices.  

It seem as a kind of notification to a smartphone. For example, a shopkeeper fixes a beacon device in the shop or outside wall of the shop. Then the people coming to this shop will get notified about grocery items, closing time of shop, personal coupons, discount codes etc. Also people passing through the way of shop gets a notification about the shop details and items in the shop. This way of connecting to your client is more beneficial.

Uses of Beacons in business-

1. News/events-

Apps can connect with beacons to receive news on the basis of location of users. When user passes through a location, beacon transmits signal to the phone and app delivers a news about that location. For instance, your business is conducting a certain event at some time, users passing through that area will get news about your event. This helps to popularize your business and get more number of people to the event. This is called geo-fencing and it can be used with a combination of beacons and GPS.

2. Hospitality-

Resorts and restaurants can use beacon technology to get frequent customer visits. Resorts use beacons to every table, when customers put their phones near beacon, menu app will open on their phone. Customer can view and select the menu from this and can also see the dishes liked by their friends because it is linked to the app to social networking sites that the customer frequently visits. As soon as selecting a menu will finish, it will get sent to a kitchen staff in who is also connected through a beacon. This helps you ensure that your staff has the meal prepared on time.

Once done, the restaurant has a cashless checkout facility by paying through the app. And customers can get discount code. App can track the time spent by the customers in restaurants. This information can be used to identify a customer with longest spent time and they can be rewarded for some offers such as a free drink or a quick table allotment on their arrival. This results in high traffic gathering to your business.  

3. Tourism-

Beacons uses ibeacon apps to connect with Mobile. Beacon enabled travel app ‘DTJax’ is developed to provide more information about business and restaurants in a city. Due to this, tourists can get more detailed information about the city, and therefore restaurants and other businesses also get more engagements and hence profit increases. Hotels can use beacons to regain any lost revenue by filling unbooked appointments simply by alerting nearby travelers of deals and offers.

4. Retail/Shops-

Beacons for shops

In retail stores, it is often the case that no one knows a shopper is there until he/she makes a purchase. Beacon greets a customer by sharing virtual greeting when customer comes in a beacon range. Using beacon enable app, it can record a customer’s purchase behavior, enables more personalized shopping suggestions, monitors wish lists and tracks customers activity within the store. Retailers use this data for increasing the email list. Beacon is more helpful for customers in the shop. It tells what could he do after coming in a store. Retailers can get customer reviews and give discount coupons or online scratch off cards. Retailers can use beacons to gift shoppers with loyalty program award points based on purchase behavior of customers. You can update content using beacon’s messaging platform, to keep your customers updated about products in your store.

Individual phone signals can track as the customer passes through the store with the use of Beacons. The devices can also help customers navigate to the store, to find products more easily. Beacon can be used for brand, just tell them that you are going to put them in a store, then brands will control the content and promote it. Brands have a lot of interest in maintaining the direct relationship with customers. So it is more efficient for updating the content and building relationships. Beacons allows customers to interact with a product placed on a particular shelf. For example, a winery could share information about specific wines located in a particular part of the store as well as what foods to pair with them.

Conclusion-

With rapidly changing business challenges, and competitions, it has become more difficult to gain maximized profit and stand out within your competitors. Beacon technology possesses the revolution in business as well as in marketing. In addition business owners can enjoy more engaging, seamless and personalized experiences. Also, retailers can increase further knowledge about their buyers. This results in ease to achieve business goals using a single technology.

Looking to ease up your business sale with beacon technology, then you might need some help getting started. Solace is the best place for developing a beacon app to boost business. We have a development team that will help to set you on your way to business innovation. Contact us for beacon apps development.

How Small Businesses Can Use Beacon Technology for Growth & Engagement?

It will be a smart choice to connect with your client using new technology through their smartphone instead of using traditional marketing. Marketing a business, whether it is small or big, there is always a challenge. It is difficult to stand out among the competitors and also make new customers to gain a maximum profit. Many more new ways are there for marketing. but marketing becomes easy and more trendy with the use of ‘Beacon Technology’. Let us see, what is it?

What is Beacon Technology?

Beacon basically looks like a WiFi router device. It is an indoor positioning system that uses a proximity technology to detect the presence of human by his smartphone and performs a predefined actions to send information. Basically beacon communication advertises through sending a small packet of data. It transmits information to smart devices near you to make location-based searching more precise.

Beacon Technology

Mainly it is a one – way communication. Message or notification can be sent through beacon device to a person passing through a nearby beacon device. This is a one way communication so person could not reply it. Beacons are battery-operated and Bluetooth – enabled small wireless devices. It seem as a kind of notification to a smartphone.

How Small Businesses Can Use Beacon Technology?

1. Retailers/shops-

Beacon technology is a way to connect with customers and offer them incentives to enter a particular store, look around and hopefully make purchases.

Beacon Technology for Retailers

• Greet customers when they come to the store-

In retail stores, it is often the case that no one knows a shopper is there until he/she makes a purchase. Beacon greets a customer by sharing virtual greeting when customer comes in a beacon range.

• Create a beacon enabled app-

Using beacon enable app, it can record a customer’s purchase behavior, enables progressively customized shopping suggestions, monitors wish lists and tracks customers activity within the store. Retailers use this data for expanding the  email list.

• Provide content-

Beacon is more helpful for customers in the shop, it tells what could he do after coming in a store. Updated fresh content can be provided to the shoppers. Thus shoppers get new variety of products and it increases the sale of store. It also gives information about the stuff available in store, special deals of the day, offers, Discount coupons. It also gives suggestions about items such as what can you choose with pizza, either coke or choco lava cake.

• Reward customers with loyalty program-

Retailers can use beacons to gift customers with loyalty program award points based on purchase behavior or even for entering the store.

• Tap to text the owner-

This feature allows customers to tap on the text and give comments regarding store or ask questions. This increases the communication and doubt clearing between retailers and customers.

• Keep track of customers-

Use beacon’s to track individual phone signals as customers pass through the store. This helps you to know which path they follow the most and which are of store they visit frequently, and how much time they spend in that area. The devices can also help customers navigate around the store, to find products more easily.

• Link to online content-

Beacons can broadcast content that performs any function the retailer considers beneficial. It includes such as tap to like on Facebook, post an image to Instagram, or link to the business’s website.

• Put Beacons in other locations-

For sale’s engagement, beacons can put on a place other than store. For instance, Store owner in the mall can fixes Beacon at the Entry-Gate of a mall so that everyone passing from there could get notified about the store and make an action of visit and purchase.

• Get brands to cover costs, update content-

Brands have much more interest in building relationships with customers. Let brands to add more updated content and promote it.

• Use Beacons and Geo- fencing events-

Businesses sponsoring or hosting an event can place beacons all through the venue to attract regard for entertainment options, food vendors, and keep attendees updated with the activities taking place at the event.

2. Catering Business-

Beacon technology is helpful to grow the small catering business also. Caters can put beacons to the venue of a program in which they are giving service. So that people coming to the venue get notified about the catering service and caters can get more customers and obviously more profit.

3. Travel-

A taxi service agency can use beacons and increase the profit rate. For example, Just think, someone is walking on a street after finishing his shopping. He is very tired and didn’t want to walk one step. At that point he gets notification about a taxi service with its fare and services. So he click to get one of the cabs and reached home safely without any extra extra effort. Does it helpful for him? Of course, it is efficient for customer and taxi service both.

4. Resorts and Restaurants-

• Check-in-

Waiting in a queue for check-in in a hotel is such a tiresome thing. Imagine guest is entering a lobby of a hotel and he gets pop up with a notification of check – in to hotel to a hotel app. The push notification shows the confirmation of check – in. Guest will be digitally checked – in and the app has already retrieved the personal details at the time of booking a room. Guest will get the hassle free experience starting from he enters a hotel.

• Finding the room and indoor navigation-

To navigate and interact with specific regions using geo-fencing, beacons are useful. To determine the position of a guest in a hotel and direct him to his room beacons can be used. It can also be used for the interactive tour of hotel or resort, where user’s attention is directed to the specific area when they freely walk within hotel building.

• Keyless entry into rooms-

A digital key is sent to guest by app as soon as a guest checked-in digitally. This allows them to sidestep the reception desk and proceed directly to his room. An iBeacon picks up the guest’s phone when in close network and unlocks the room door. This is such an engaging and efficient experience for a guest.

• Food –

Resorts use beacons to every table,when customers put their phones near beacon, menu app will open on their phone. Customer can view and select the menu from this and can also see the dishes liked by their friends because it is  linked to the app to social networking sites that the customer frequently visits. As soon as selecting a menu will finish, it will get sent to a kitchen staff in who is also connected through a beacon. As a result, this helps you ensure that your staff has the meal prepared on time. Once done, the restaurant has a cashless checkout facility by paying through the app.

• Check- out –

Guests can extend a stay or to check-out digitally by sending a push notification. As guest confirms the amount he receives a receipt and can now check-out easily. The whole process is seamless and hassle – free.

Final Words-

Small and medium businesses face massive competition with other main street businesses. And Beacons can truly be an effective marketing strategy for them. It is cost- effective. It also gives the wide reach as compared to other marketing ways.

Looking to ease up your business sale with beacon technology, then you might need some help getting started. Solace is the best place to develop beacon app for boost a business. We have a development team that will help to set you on your way to business innovation. Contact us for beacon apps development.