The beacon technology and location based applications have captured techno nerds’ attention due to its vast scope. This new technology is expected to grow at an exponential rate shortly. Before proceeding further, it is important to have a deeper understanding of what the beacon technology means and what location-based applications are.
Beacons are small devices that transmit continuous radio signals with restricted data content. For example, messages or notifications on the mobile phones with the help of Bluetooth low energy, popularly known as Bluetooth Smart.
These transmitters are dedicated to reacting to changes in one’s physical location and share the data with other devices nearby all the locations. iBeacon is a term coined by Apple, but the physical form of beacons has not changed. Apple has modified their iOS to have a differently automated process of dealing with beacons.
Beacons come in different shapes and formats, for example, there is a set of coin-sized battery driven beacons, software genres, and USB sticks to name a few.
On the other hand there is a growing trend of location based services that offers itself as a highly efficient communication source.
The innovative idea of adding location oriented elements to create more engaging, useful, and more functional social network leads to location-based applications. They combine geographical location and customer preferences to deliver real-time analysis. However, these applications are prone to various security and data integration challenges.
These applications utilize the consumer data to analyze the same for promoting products, offering discounts, and reacting according to the customers’ buying patterns for distinctive markets. The beacon technology is going to drive the efficiency of these location-based applications as data collection requires the signal transmission process to communicate signals automatically at regular intervals of time.
Beacons are functional on iPhone 4s and Android devices with Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth 4.3. The beacon technology is expected to change the technology driven the world to a big extent.
Here are few of the advantages of incorporating Beacons:
– It does not require high power,
–it can determine user’s exact location.
-The signals are only affected by buildings, water, and other objects.
– It can be easily operated with the relevant location-based mobile app
The first phase of geo-location technology has captured customers’ attention and today they use these apps for directions, restaurant feedback, and utilizing coupons. These applications are solely dependent upon the location factor. Beacons are meant to send designated notifications or offers to customers to analyze their drifts in buying patterns.
In the retail sector, these regular customers can earn the loyalty equity through continuous purchases. Customers who like to buy products that are offered at discounted rates would prefer to have access to such location-based application services. This is quite prevalent in the retail sector, and retail agencies do have their version of the loyalty program.
Interestingly, it is useful to such an extent that it gathers data and utilize the same to customize interactions and suggestive marketing. The beacon technology plays a significant role in helping these programs attain the desired level of engagement. The process of checking in can be automated as well to reward these customers directly with loyalty points.
The interesting part is beacons are so useful that they deliver a unique and a highly interactive digital experience. Customers who keep on traveling get to have such amazing experiences if they have installed the application. It has the potential to transform your experience to another level with GPS integration. It can help customers in determining the directions of the building’s complex layout.
They can be aware of all the exciting offers, schemes, and promotional activities at a particular location. The highly advanced applications are going to expand the scope of location-based services. In iPhones, the beacon technology is highly useful as beacons recognize the customer’s movement by sending messages to their phones at different places. Museums, traveling agencies, and colleges can use it to provide people with tours on digital platforms. Hospitals can also make use of it to provide them with navigation facilities.
It is also can help in emphasizing the marketing strategies for the companies displaying ads by search results. It will automate the process of messaging and track much traffic in a particular space. They can also be notified by musical signals or light signals when they enter the beacon area.
Location-based services have various privacy concerns as well. It can be used to improve emergency services, such as ambulance, and then it can be useful in determining efficient and innovative marketing techniques, information services, location based gaming, billing, real-time tracking, augmented reality, and sports.
It can distribute information by location, user behavioral patterns, and time particularity. This can prove fatal if utilized by hackers and spammers as it becomes easy for them to proliferate recklessness. The popular trend in location-based application services is of augmented reality.
It enables the combination of virtual and real world with virtual augmented graphic data. It is a 3D registered the application and it is highly interactive. It collects data about one’s exact location, and that can be a big deal for many people. To avoid these privacy concerns, it becomes responsible for the concerned authorities to ensure strict laws against storing useless customers’ data.
So, a possible solution can be storing all the relevant bits of information and eradicate unwanted information from servers to avoid security issues. It can also be used for tracking vehicles to reduce traffic congestion, tracking prisoners to control crime, following employees to manage their data for performance analysis, and animals for keeping track of their health issues and whereabouts.
Author Info:
Shahid Abbasi is a big time tech geek working with one of the best mobile app development companies, Peerbits. He has a proven efficiency over designing mobile apps for the enhanced UI/UX for websites and mobile apps. Moreover, he likes to share his knowledge over a series of technical blogs to make himself more resourceful globally. Over the weekends, he transforms himself into become an awesome cook.
