Will iBeacons Break Out This Holiday Retail Season

Black Friday or Cyber Monday – which is bigger? Actually, that question may be a moot point, as many retail pundits think that Thanksgiving day in the US may quickly overtake those two days as more retail stores open their doors in advance of Black Friday. What better way to work off the drowsiness from the effect of the Tryptophan in your turkey than by getting out and making an early start on holiday shopping.

Actually, shopping any specific day may be a moot point, if iBeacons have anything to do with it. Beacon technology has the potential to blur the line between online and brick & mortar shopping.

As a quick primer, iBeacons are relatively low tech devices installed in retail locations. They emit low-energy Bluetooth signals to detect an app user’s location and proximity in real time. The simplicity and functionality of beacons have the potential to be the most effective location-aware technology for in-store marketing.

Here is why. As advanced as smartphones are, there are inherent limitations in a retail setting. GPS requires line of sight to the sky, which isn’t usually available in a retail store. Wi-Fi is limited in that it functions differently on Android and iOS operating systems. Cell tower triangulation is the least precise technology for mobile location detection.

So what will the true impact of iBeacons be this holiday season? Phunware’s Emily Reynolds discusses the topic in her article How Will Beacon Technology Affect Retail Holiday 2014? As she explains, companies need to “build a mobile strategy that creates a uniquely personalized journey with your brand and through your store. That means you need a combination of location-aware technology, timing and context - and constant evaluation of user analytics.”

It’s not just the opportunity to enhance the in-store shopping experience, the real value as she explains, “These marketing initiatives can provide value to your shoppers (special offers, product information, ratings and reviews, etc.), but the real gravy is the data your app collects as users engage with it. This information, quite simply, is what will make your holiday marketing plan gangbusters.”

She goes on to point out a number of other factors beacons bring into play. You can check out the article on the Phunware website.