The latest in a round of location based communications. The Apple iBeacon launched with so far, a fair amount of success. The iBeacon is BLE a small low energy blue tooth device which can be placed in locations where consumers may be active for example at the check-out or at a product display and so on.
When the customer approaches or leaves an area where the iBeacon is installed this low blue transmission connects the phone and the iBeacon device and you receive an alert on your phone (if you have a iOS7 it’s automatically set to on and built-in to the device). Once alerted the iBeacon will deliver relevant and value added content based on your location – this could be additional information on the products or services you are looking at or offers and special discounts or any information that makes your location experience a better one.
Many brands are currently testing the different opportunities which iBeacon can offer for example Techcrunch reported that Sports Bar – Bar Kick in Shoreditch – are showcasing iBeacon by providing free magazine downloads to their customers when they are in the vicinity of the pub. The iBeacon is placed above the door of the Bar and sends an alert to any customer’s phone. If the customer is interested in reading the online magazines, they can easily access within the vicinity of the pub, free of charge.
“When in this bar, the soccer magazine ‘When Saturday Comes’ and the fashion and culture magazine ‘Dazed & Confused are available.”
There a many different ways to use this technology by providing more in-depth information on products and service in stores, museums and airports and so on. It’s an interesting development and is a strong development area when combined with the tap-to-pay model, 9to5mac.com details a fascinating case study of The Brixton Pound organization teaming up with Dingo for the payment solution and kontakt.io for the iBeacon hardware and integration. Also watch out for the PayPal iBeacon due to be out 2014 adding to the case for making mobile payments more seamless.
