BEACONS EVERYWHERE! POSSIBLE LOCATIONS FOR BEACONS

iBeacon solutions are designed to push web-content to mobile devices using innovative technology.

As market awareness grows around iBeacon, Proximity Marketing, Push Notifications and Content Delivery, we've been discussing examples where we believe using this innovative technology can help you engage with customers.

iBeacons work best when there are multiple beacons used, pushing out different content at different locations….

For example:

Cars in a showroom: Each car has its own beacon placed inside. The car/ beacon that you are standing closest to, displays the relevant information on your phone. As you walk around the showroom, the content on your phone changes automatically depending on the car you are standing closest to. The content could be vehicle specifications, current deals or a promotional video. iBeacon technology can be used as an aid to salespeople (carrying an iPad) or as a substitute when they’re not around (e.g. the forecourt when the showroom is closed).

Paintings in a gallery: As you stand and face each painting, information on the closest painting displays on your phone. As you move away and look at the next painting that you are interested in, the new product info is automatically received on your phone. It could be information on the artist or a short video about the painting. The content can also include an interactive map. Navigating an old building can sometimes be confusing, seeing where you are, where you’ve been & where you’ve yet to discover can be extremely useful. Also, where the toilets are!

Restaurants, Bars & Coffee shops: As you approach (as far as 30 metres away), you are greeted by a beacon message/notification that welcomes you and gives you a few good reasons as to why you should visit – menu’s, incentives, discounts, specials. Once inside, beacons are deployed under each table to offer a bespoke ‘table’ service. If payment hasn’t been made at the table and you visit the cashier to pay, a beacon could be placed by the till(s) that requires extremely close proximity engagement (touching) to create a rewards/loyalty scheme that replaces the old style or loyalty card that is manually stamped. A beacon bids you farewell with a message and some compelling reasons to return again soon.

Attraction points at City Tours/Tourist Spots: As you walk (or drive) around a city on a guided tour, there would be beacons located at each point of interest. As you approach different locations, different content automatically displays phones as you come into close proximity with the beacon. Alert visitors that they are close by way of push-notifications. Content could be mobile commentary (in the required language), pictures, videos, facts and figures. There could be between 50 to 200 beacons used depending on the size of the tour and the number of points of interest. This means that potentially a tour can be entirely unmanned.

Offers and Menus at Restaurants & Bars: You are walking down the high street or a Food Court: Each restaurant/bar has its own Live Beacon with relevant content including menus, offers, specials of the day and new food recipes and drinks to try. Whilst customers are walking around and trying to decide which restaurant/bar they would like to visit, iBeacon techonology can communicate a message as they walk past hoping to entice them in. Different content can be displayed based on your number of visits (e.g. ‘welcome back, here’s a free coffee on us’).
Live Beacon could be used as a modern day loyalty card to reward and incentivise return visits.

You are now inside you restaurant of choice: There is iBeacon technology at each table. Each beacon can be unique and it can be used to identify the specific table. Guests at the table can look at specials / offers / restaurant info / standard menu. They can even use the beacon to request service or order their food.

Exhibitions and Conferences: As you eagerly approach the venue for the highly anticipated expo or conference, you are greeted with an up to date information list of attendees, agenda, running order, visitors, event details.
Once inside the venue, different exhibitors are using iBeacon techonology to deliver information on their company/products.; As you walk around the expo, the content on your device is automatically updating depending on what stand/beacon you are closest to.
At a conference, the organiser is pushing out relevant real-time content on the guest speaker (at the end of seminar).
As you leave, offers are pushed to encourage re-booking for the next event and informing of other events that may be of interest.

Services in Hotels & Holiday Parks: Beacons could be placed at the entrance/exit of the hotel to engage and greet guests as they arrive and leave.
The beacons could deliver information about Hotels Offers & Promotions, as well as guest amenities and facilities (gym, shops, entertainment, dining, spa, services)

They could inform the guests of all your Shows and fresh content on your website such as “Top 5 things to do this month” as they move around the hotel and come into proximity with a location. Perhaps, you could change the content from daytime to night time when you want to inform guests about your Nightlife and evening dining possibilities.
You could draw attention to your Shops and present information on Gift Certificates, Complimentary parking, product highlights and your Concierge services; not to mention your magazines, store directory, click & collect and seasonal ranges.

As your guests are going to be wanting to eat throughout the day, you can showcase your restaurants, your chefs and cuisines. Perhaps you want to specifically draw attention to your Private Events offering or a local food guide. Maybe your wining and dining promotions.
With your meeting room offering you may want to deliver up to date, real time content about meeting room options, or special events, exhibitions and conventions, floor plans and packages & promotions.

Perhaps you specialise in Wedding services and wish to draw specific attention around this… or your rewards and loyalty schemes perhaps.
The opportunities are endless. If you have web content, and you have guests with mobile devices and wish to combine the two, Live Beacon is a great iBeacon solution.

Rides at a Theme Park: Each ride has it own beacon placed at the entrance to the queue. As you wait in line to experience a ride, the beacon content displays relevant information about this ride, the adventure that is in store for you and what you can expect. Once you have completed the ride and move to the next queue, a new beacon will automatically pick up your location and begin a story about the next experience. Add an interactive map & Live Beacon can tell you the queue times across the park and which rides you’ve already visited.

Properties / Real estate: You have 30 exclusive properties that you are marketing. A iBeacon solution is placed somewhere near the entrance of each property and is transmitting information on the property. (Live Beacons are weatherproof and pretty small so can be placed easily and discreetly)
As a potential buyer is approaching the property (up to 50 metres away), they receive a ‘push’ notification from the beacon welcoming them to the property and providing them with detailed information on the property. This engaging experience is repeated at the next property they visit, and so on. You could place beacons inside each room of the property to provide useful information such as dimensions & facilities. Many ‘open houses’ are now self-service where potential buyers walk themselves around.

Building / Office tours: You can be greeted by iBeacon technology as you approach the building. Once inside there are 15 specific points of interest inside that you wish to draw to the visitors attention and there is a beacon in each room.
As the visitor moves from room to room, or area to area, they are greeted and automatically pushed relevant information about their location by the beacon they are in closest proximity to. This content could be info about the room inc. capacities, facilities, availability, etc.

Shops / Malls & Retail Outlets: As you walk into a shop/retail outlet a Live Beacon transmitting content about the brand’s in-store promotions and loyalty programme delivers this information to your mobile handset. As you then move away and on to another brand concession or the next store, different content is automatically displayed from the next Live Beacon that comes into range.

Cruise Ships: On boarding the ship iBeacon technology will begin to transmit information about the facilities on board and journey details. As you move between floors and areas this technology will note your location and continually update you with fresh and relevant content i.e restaurant, bar, creche and casino information.

Events and Museums: Whilst attending an event or exhibition and moving between various stands and displays, a Live Beacon will notice your location and communicate information about that specific stand/display. As you make your way around other Live Beacons will track your location and continually send you fresh information. At the tap of a button you can ‘save’ interesting information for later. Or perhaps ‘request a callback’ from specific exhibitors.

Sporting events & Stadiums: As you enter the stadium iBeacon technology confirms your location and begins to transmit relevant content to your mobile regarding the stadiums facilities and the event you are attending.
As you watch the live event, replay moments could be transmitted by the beacon.
Alternatively, different content could be served up to the home and away teams. How about interactive voting at half time, where the results are sent to nearby big screens.

Festivals: On arriving at the festival iBeacon techonology detects your location and begins to transmit information about the area you are in with updates of the bands playing and nearby drink/food/toilet facilities.
As you walk around and move into another zone the next Live Beacon will begin to inform you of the information relevant to your zone.
While your favourite band is playing, how about a real-time set list that updates as they play? Or how about the ability to vote on the band’s closing song?

Checking in at a clinic or doctors surgery: Many surgeries/clinics now have floor standing touch screens that you can use to ‘check-in’. It is possible to send the same check-in system to visitors phones via iBeacon technologies. The system could be configured so that for subsequent visits the visitor is automatically checked-in by virtue of walking through the door with Bluetooth on and the Live Beacon app installed — and they’ll get a notification in their pocket letting them know.

The options for this innovative technology are endless.