What do you know about beacons?

Many people have probably heard the mysterious word “beacon”. There are many ideas related to their use, but in Poland this topic is not yet fully discovered. Do we realize what beacons are and what potential lies in them? Imagine that you are in a shopping mall, where you can easily locate the product you are looking for, or you receive a signal on your smartphone when your child wanders too far away. There are many possibilities of beacons, which probably not everyone is aware of yet.

What is this “beacon”?

Beacons are small devices equipped with energy-saving Bluetooth technology, thanks to which it is possible to reach smartphones or other devices. They are most often sold as independent devices, which we can use according to our preferences, by mounting them (for example) on a shelf and integrating them with an application.

In practice, this means that a person near the beacon will receive a dedicated message regarding their current location. Currently, beacons can only be used when connected to Bluetooth, although by default they are supposed to work without having to turn it on.

Opportunity for shopping malls

How to use the potential of beacons when shopping? This technology allows you to learn about consumers’ shopping paths and preferences. In practice, this means the ability to send personalized sales offers to a specific customer – a consumer walking around the store can receive information about the offers or discounts that are valid there. For example: we pass by an Italian restaurant and receive a message about a discount on a selected dish on the menu.

Beacons also allow you to locate the products you are looking for, which saves you time because you don’t have to wander between the shelves. Additionally, these devices send messages about current promotions, and all this without having to contact the seller.

Disadvantages

Like everything, beacons have their disadvantages. The main one may be the fact that information about promotions or new offers can turn into intrusive marketing that will be difficult to escape. Before beacons were introduced to the market, a lot of spam reached our inboxes, and there may be even more of it in the future.

There have also been concerns about privacy violations. Opponents of beacons claim that in addition to the marketing purpose, the technology will also collect data containing their browser history or location. Some people may also feel uncomfortable knowing that a device is “tracking” their movements.

Another disadvantage may be the fact that, currently, beacons only work when Bluetooth is active. And if we combine it with an active location function, we can be sure that our smartphone’s battery will not last too long.

Other applications

One of the most famous campaigns on the subject of beacons was the one created by Nivea, for which a promotional film was created showing their capabilities.
In one of the newspapers, on the page dedicated to advertising this company, a wristband was attached, which was a transmitter with a beacon. These wristbands were put on children, showing that after installing the appropriate mobile application on the smartphone, parents would be able to easily monitor the movements of their children. When they wandered too far away, a message appeared on the smartphones. The promotion of this short film on the Internet was met with a positive response from recipients, and the campaign was honored at the Cannes Lions festival.

Beacons also allow you to locate objects or animals. All you need to do is attach the device to a selected item – keys or a wallet – install the appropriate application and… you’re done!