Beacons emerge
Beacons were the big story in 2014 as retailers, sports
stadiums, transportation centers and municipalities looked to the low-cost,
low-energy Bluetooth-enabled technology to enhance the on-site experience for
consumers. Spurred by the potential of Apple’s iBeacon, beacons in general
moved from a promising, lightly tested tool to a strategy that can make a
significant difference in engagement, if not in-store sales, while seamlessly
bridging physical and online experiences.
Beacons detect nearby smartphones and send them ads, coupons
or supplementary product information. They can also be used as point-of-sale
systems and to collect information on consumers — particularly on how consumers
maneuver through stores.
Reflecting the prevailing trend and consumers’ growing
openness to beacon-generated mobile ads, Macy’s announced that 4,000 beacons
would be coming to all its department stores..
“While marketers and AdTech companies continue experimenting
and investing in new types of mobile ad units, programmatic, native ads, and
mobile conversion ads, apart from beacons, nothing else that launched in 2014
clearly demonstrated a fundamental paradigm shift in mobile marketing
strategy,” said Aaron McLean, partner and senior vice president for marketing
and strategic partnerships with Meg.
However, while beacons have a lot going for them, they do
represent challenges such as poor device reach, with many consumers not
enabling Bluetooth on their phones that do have it. Additionally, consumers
need to have an app that is receptive to beacon messages and to give that app
permission to use location and permission to send push notifications.
In the end, a mix of
complementary technologies – including audio, Bluetooth BLE, Wi-Fi, NFC and
others - may be used in tandem to create a comprehensive in-store experience.
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