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The Power of iBeacons in the Retail Sector

The iBeacon’s ability to record and integrate shopping/retail experiences has made a valuable concept for retailers. In fact, hype continues to grow around the iBeacon’s immense potential to benefit both the retailer and consumer experience. Let us take a closer look at how this powerful, low energy sensor- transmitter has been revolutionizing the retail sector.

• iBeacons use Bluetooth Low Energy

By utilizing the iBeacons transmitter, businesses can build a two-way communication between them and customers. A small wireless sensor, the iBeacon is not heavily priced and can transmit signals up to 450 meters away based on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. The closer the smartphone or a compatible device comes to the iBeacon, the more the sensors will get to know about the user’s whereabouts and what he is looking at.

• Retailers collecting big data

iBeacons actually help companies to collect a significant amount of data. For eg. the companies/brands can directly find out where the customers are located and what they are doing inside a store. By tracing the movement of the customer, the brand will be able to send you personalized messages related to offers, discounts and other tips, thus, making your shopping experience delightful. This again is instrumental in boosting the sales of a company.

• Shopping becomes organized and enjoyable

iBeacons are capable of offering a streamlined shopping experience to consumers. Based on their location in a store, the customer will be able to find and view videos and other real-time offers and coupons.

As soon as a consumer opens an iBeacon-supported store app inside a store, he will receive assistance like which direction should he take to locate the product he has been recently searching for, or find discount coupons, or view other sales offer for similar products.

• LED lights with iBeacon integration

The introduction of LED lights with the BLE iBeacon functionality has made it convenient for retailers to control costs for tracking the customer-sales movement in their stores. The lights are capable of transmitting information to the smartphones. This means that they now have alternative to buying standalone beacons. In this way, they can access two-fold functionality with these BLE integrated LED lights.

• Cross-platform Beacon apps

Following the impact that iBeacons created in retail and other sectors, companies soon felt the need for cross-platform iBeacon apps. While Apple has been the pioneer of iBeacons, Android too now provides extensive support for most standard beacons in the market, making it possible to create cross-platform Beacon apps.

For eg. a retailer who chooses to have an Android app, his target audience will need to have Android 4.3 or above on their iBeacon-compatible Android devices. The Android app has to be integrated with a special SDK that will enable the device to establish contact with the Beacon.

In sum, the iBeacon technology offers endless possibilities for marketers to enhance consumers’ in-store experiences and drive sales campaigns.

Read ALSO: How iBeacons Apps Help Your Business ROI?