Often biggest changes in technologies come around from smallest beginnings. Just last summer in 2013, Apple announced iBeacon, a nerd-dragging feature allowing mobile apps (iOS and Android) to behave and respond in a location-awareness ecosystem – indoor mobile communication. Well, that’s the concept.
Imagine if your mobile app could sense the position of its users and then send them notifications, loyalty cards, discounted deals or any other thing right into their mobiles that otherwise your shopping assistant would only tell. Sounds Interesting?
Now that is something interesting. Let’s see what iBeacons really are and how they are going to change the way indoor mobile communications.
What is iBeacon, anyways?
‘iBeacon’ (or just ‘beacon’) is an indoor positioning system — say GPS, but inside offices, stores, universities etc. — that is engineered to be low cost and ultra-low power working with iOS 7 devices to provide directional, informational, and other services. Connected with Apple's native Location Services like GPS, Wi-Fi mapping, and cell tower triangulation, iBeacons detect when you approach or leave, and estimate your proximity and deliver you the content accordingly. So, no misfires.
It can also be disabled in Settings: Privacy should you not want to make use of it.
At RED SIGNAL, We’re taking iBeacons a bit further, a bit faster
Being at the sharp end of technology gives us unique opportunities to work on latest tools and technologies. It’s been quite some time now, since we have been working with iBeacons and experimenting their some amazing potentials in our real world. A moment of pause here, don't forget to visit our complete range of mobile apps development solutions.
‘To state the obvious, iBeacon is totally game changer. Using Bluetooth to send ads and push notifications between nearby devices really fascinates most of us’. says Irfan Danish (Principal Software Engineer @ RED SIGNAL)
We’re in the final phases of delivering world’s most fascinating and first enterprise grade multi-retailer platform that leverages beacons to their full potential, while allowing retailers to deliver a whole new range of directional, informational and promotional services according to their proximity to iBeacons device. What’s more is that our is the only enterprise-grade solution that lets retailors and brands to create, manage and then deliver the alerts, notifications, suggestions and recommendations to app users, whether they are in the store or are in neighborhood.
Similarly, we have introduced contextual messaging for EventBuizz (some of very popular Event Management apps available today), using ibeacons. It all takes EventBuizz to new realms of host/attendee interaction and engagement, while helping attendees pick up their badges faster and get more involved in the sessions they attend. One key feature of the app allowed for real-time audience interaction during sessions, where attendees can network with other attendees in that session, participate in a discussion forum, and answer live audience polls.
Other use cases could include allowing sponsors to show content as attendees approach their booth or match attendees based on profile to make networking more efficient.
How it Works ( Example in context of Point of Sale retail marketing)
Bluetooth? Turned On. iBeacon enabled mobile app? Downloaded. Location Services? Accepted. Push Notifications? Allowed.
That’s it. This is what makes magic ‘real’. Now imagine, you have a retail store with iBeacons on different places. John heads towards the store with his smartphone in his hands or pockets. As soon as John comes into iBeacons’ proximity, his phone would start receiving signals from the beacons. Say, he is at the entrance, the beacon set in the window sends him a welcome message. John enters the store, starts roaming around. Every time he enters into a particular beacon’s range, he would get different message on his mobile screen, such as discounted prices, special promotions, time-limited coupons etc.
See, No Salesman! That’s just the start. The end is where you stop thinking.
What Next? Here's the Future.
iBeacon as you see it today is just the initial offering. The uses are endless, and we expect to see it combined with other applications that exist in the marketplace today. Combining iBeacon technology with point-of-sale will provide consumers with a shopping experience that is fast and easy and that fulfills both the consumer’s and retailer’s needs.
If you are looking for highly professional team of mobile developers, with some seriously hands on battling with mobile technologies, we need to talk. Not to toot our own horns, as a leading mobile apps development company, we are made of very high end technologists, Mobility consultants, iOS developers and Android Developers.
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