This presentation is designed to provide a fundamental outline of what mobile beacons are, how they work and how they can be applied to practical marketing campaigns.
4. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
What is Bluetooth LE?
BLE is a specification
The specification is used to create Bluetooth LE
chipsets
The chipsets are embedded in devices
5. Beacons are hardware devices that can emit and
receive BLE signals
Beacons can be placed throughout any targeted area that emit a
by other BLE enabled devices.
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
What is a beacon?
6. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Do beacons beam data to phones?
Send & Receive data from …
… health sensors.
… a heart rate monitor.
… a fitness tracker.
… a refrigerator.
… a watch.
… a thermostat.
… a lightbulb.
… other mobile phones.
7. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
How do beacons work?
Bluetooth LE devices
transmit small packets of
data
Which wake-up a “listener” to
let it know that it’s there
Oh,
Hello!
8. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
How do beacons work?
2-3’
3-10M
Which then let’s you calculate
PROXIMITY to the beacon
70M
Oh,
Hello!
You’re
Nearby.
Remember NFC?
It only works here.
9. The NFC Killer?
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Technology Comparison
Bluetooth LE has an advantage over NFC due to it’s
longer range and affordability and also because both
Apple and Android devices support the technology.
10. Yes, but they work differently.
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Do beacons work with iPhones and Android phones?
For Android users to interact with
beacons, they have to have the
app running on their phone, at
least in the background.
(Android apps must scan for BLE)
Only iOS 7 and iOS 8 devices
constantly scan for BLE and wake
up relevant apps — even if they
are closed — when they come
within range of a beacon.
11. The physical device is any BLE device that is configured
in a particular way so it’s recognized by the iOS as an
iBeacon.
When an app is iBeacon-enabled it just means that it has
announced to the core iOS that it needs to be consulted if
the device detects a BLE device emitting a specific BLE
advertising signal.
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
What is an iBeacon? Is it just an Apple beacon?
iBeacon is NOT an actual physical device - iBeacon is the software.
12. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Why marketers care?
Source: www.ebizu.com
14. User needs your app
User must have app on (does not need to be “open”)
User needs Bluetooth BLE compatible device
User needs Bluetooth on
User must allow you to push notifications
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Requirements
15. Are Beacons going to creep people out?
There is a potential to annoy a customer.
There is a potential to alienate a customer who finds location
awareness intrusive.
There are possible issues of legality if you plan on tracking
specific user behavior / location. (varies by country)
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Primary concerns
19. With Apple on board, Bluetooth LE is the first
proximity technology supported by all the
major mobile platforms.
Apple might have been the last to figure out what kind of
technology to use, but somehow it’s getting all the buzz and
credit.
(Imagine that)
An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Why Now?
20. An Introduction to Mobile Beacons
Why it matters?
In a Word: Context
We can now deliver content and experiences to users based on
precise proximity to things in the physical world – making it a
whole new customer engagement channel.
Analyst firms all over the world recognize Bluetooth Smart as a key enabler in the Internet of Things.
How big?
Bluetooth Smart makes it easy for developers and manufacturers to create solutions that will work with the billions of Bluetooth enabled products already in the market today.
BLE features ultra low power consumption that allows devices to remain in service for years.
BLE allows both encrypted paired transmissions or quick broadcast data transmissions between sensor nodes and smartphones.
With the ability to calculate distances between fixed points and mobile objects, BLE is ideal for real time indoor localization applications and mobile tracking where GPS cannot be used.
Smart Ready (connect with sensors) = Phones, Tablets, Laptops, TVs, etc.
Smart (products that send information) = heart rate monitors, proximity sensors, smart watch, etc.
Think of it as a lighthouse emitting light in regular intervals. Mobile apps can listen for that signal and, when they receive it, trigger a location-based action.
Beacons do send small bits of data, typically a unique identifier.
This allows mobile apps to differentiate between beacons and perform an action when necessary (that is, a location-triggered notification).
Think of it as the combination of a hyper-accurate GPS coordinate or an IP address.
The identifier consists of three components: a UUID, which is specific to a beacon vendor; a "major," which is specific to a region, like a store location; and a "minor," which is specific to a sub-region, like a department within a store.
A beacon transmits radio waves, which can penetrate physical barriers like walls, unlike Wi-Fi or cell signals, which are often disrupted.
BLE consumes only a fraction of the battery power that classic Bluetooth does.
iPhones and iPads can do this thanks to Apple's iBeacon protocol.
Android devices, on the other hand, do not have a beacon system of this type at the operating-system level.
Beacon scanning at the app level means there is more of a battery drain for Android users.
Targeted Messaging Based on Location
NEW SPACE FOR MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING
Location based marketing allows a company to target a user with a more general message that can prompt a visit or action. It expands the scope of targeted marketing to offer a more intimate and direct interaction.
GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CORRELATES TO LOYALTY AND WILLINGNESS TO BUY
According to a worldwide Jack Morton Study, 87% of all customers are more likely to recommend a brand and nearly 60% would be willing to pay a higher price if they had a great experience.
This is the equivalent of mobile cookies, but dropped into a smartphone via beacon triggers.
The location information is captured without the app ever opening.
Only consumers who agree to allow this information to be captured would be served the targeted ads later.
Welcome into the store or department
Highlight great deals or product info
Customize shopping with information from user account and loyalty status
Optimize in-store operations with shopping habits and traffic pattern insights
Encourage app engagement before, during, and after the event
Deliver personalized greetings, interesting facts or history
Direct fans to the shortest lines
Offer special access for sponsors
For the UN’s International Day for Mine Awareness, New Museum in New York City hosted an exhibit that used iBeacons to simulate a virtual minefield and let anyone experience the danger of land mines. When a person comes too close to a transmitter, it acts as a land mine and detonates, filling the user’s headphones with a jarring, visceral explosion followed by an audio testimony of someone’s actual experience. Users are then invited to make a small donation of $5 to help ensure no one ever has to go through what they just did. Great use of immersive technology to drive home a message.
Just think of all the things you’re “near” in a day. These objects can now trigger custom events on your smartphone apps.
Just think of all the things you’re “near” in a day. These objects can now trigger custom events on your smartphone apps.