IoT (Internet of Things) is the new technology that has been globally connecting the world like never before. It is a concept that infuses life into every non-living object around with the help of sensors and chips. IoT helps create a network of systems that can communicate and transmit information on-the-go. 

The ability of these sensors to share information has made lives easier and more convenient in many ways.

In short, you are never alone, with technology always being there by your side.

The concept has gained so much momentum that it has led to the introduction of the world’s first IoT island, Martha’s Vineyard. It comes way after IoT-enabled smart homes, smart cars, smart cities, smart shopping, and whatnot. 

What are Beacons?

If you are into the business & marketing sector, the term “beacon” might sound familiar. According to Global Market Insights, the beacon technology market is expected to exceed $25 billion by 2024. But what is it?

In the words of Google beacon developers, “Just like lighthouses have helped sailors navigate the world for thousands of years, electronic beacons can be used to provide precise location and contextual cues within apps to help you navigate the world.”

Beacons are tiny, wireless transmitters that deploy low-energy Bluetooth signals to communicate with other nearby devices. It comes as the latest developments in proximity and location-based technology.

How do Beacons Work?

Every beacon device is built with an embedded CPU, radio, batteries. The device continuously broadcasts an identifier that, in turn, is picked up by any smartphone that comes in its range.

The identifier has its unique identification number that would be sent over to your smart device. Once the two devices are connected, the beacon would navigate you through.

Now that you know what IoT and Beacons are, let’s move forward with how to develop IoT-Oriented Customer Loyalty Mobile App Using Beacons. Your IoT development company can help you build your dream project.

The Challenge at Hand

Do you know that nearly one-third of all mobile searches on Google are location-based? This stat shows how investing in beacons technology is not a waste.

The integration of Beacon and IoT is the biggest challenge that needs to be accomplished that too gracefully. Where beacon technology is gearing towards improvement with better antennas and signal ranges, its scope is expected to widen with the coming times.

What is required on the customer’s end?

  • A beacon mobile app
  • An active Bluetooth connection

 With an eccentric customer app in the making, beacons can help significantly in delivering quality to the clients. As for now, let’s find out. 

The Idea Behind Building Customer Loyalty

For any business, it is a success if the same customers show up again and again. It is an assurance that a company is serving the needs of its end users. By building a customer loyalty program, a business leaves no stone unturned in giving a reason for the customers to stay.

As for the benefit of Beacons, a local retail business can benefit significantly from leveraging location-based mobile advertising technology. In layman’s terms, beacons help deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.

If you are skeptical about the effectiveness of this beautiful technology, it would be surprising to know that almost 50 percent of the top 100 brands already use beacons.

The Major Milestones

  • From the users’ perspective: Information about sales and promos communicated to the local customers through the Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices
  • From the business perspective: Implement a marketing campaign that requires minimal efforts

Looking into the Three Viable App Building Solutions

The following solutions can help build a location-based advertising app using beacons:

  • Using the Core Bluetooth Framework

The Core Bluetooth framework supports classes that create a communication path between apps and the devices that run on Bluetooth low energy technology. The Core Bluetooth technology will be able to scan Beacons, and the customers will be able to receive a callback per advertisement packet.  

  •  Using Core Location Ranging

By deploying this method, users will be able to receive one callback per second. However, there is a catch here! This method is only applicable to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) advertisements that are compatible with the iBeacon layout, specifically the proximity UUID.

 Also, this UUID should be registered for ranging as a sub-part of a CLBeacon object.

  • Using Kontakt.io Beacons

The Kontakt.io are Bluetooth-enabled devices, and the corresponding communication in them is triggered through Bluetooth radio.

The settings can be modified to suit the clients’ needs by deploying the Kontakt.io Proximity Web Panel. These settings help in configuring, managing, locating, and even monitoring them.

The Expected End Result

After the successful implementation of beacon technology, your business would be able to:

  • Communicate directly with both the existing and the new customers- The offers and promos will be communicated to the target audience from time to time. It would result in better customer engagement, thus loyalty.
  • Build the foundation for long term relationships– The beacon technology would also help in customizing the customer experience by sending them valuable, and preference focused updates.
  • The Hyper-Local advertising would certainly get better– This super-targeted advertising would help in focusing on a smaller number of shoppers distributed in a very particular area.

The Final Words

Where online retailers are already using technology to give the best of experience to their users, the offline market feels left out. It is the Beacon technology that has come as an aid.

With IoT devices and beacon technology, the brick and mortar retailers can directly connect with their intended audience and offer return-on-investment along with customer loyalty, i.e., a win-win situation!

Author Bio:
James Wilson is a seasoned Content Writer at Net Solutions, Los Angeles for seven years with an expertise in blogging, writing creative and technical copy for direct response markets and promotional advertising for B2B and B2C industries. Born and brought up in New York, James holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He has worked for industries like IT, Product engineering, Lifestyle, among others, and written some great insights on technologies like user experience design, mobile app development, PHP web development, and so on. Besides his technical background, he is a poet by heart, who loves to connect with people through a dose of creativity and imagination.