Being able to reach potential customers in new and efficient ways is always the goal of high end retail entities. A great way to this would be to somehow deliver promotional content directly to their mobile devices as they walk past the store. If this concept sounds familiar, it is because we’re talking about the iBeacon technology introduced by Apple some time ago.
Many were quick to judge the Beacon technology and say that it was nothing more than a gimmick which naturally faded away but these days, it seems like we might be seeing more of iBeacon. Recent studies in the field have uncovered some interesting information regarding the Beacon technology and how it is evolving within the tech-retail ecosystem. It appears that not only have Beacons increased in number in the last quarter, but it has done so at such a rate that we are now looking at a 52% increase. The same sources say we can count on Beacons growing in number at a steady (and anticipated) rate, with the technology getting a grip back into the mainstream market.
For anyone that is not up to speed on the subject, beacons, or the result of Apple’s iBeacon technology, represent data transmitting tools which operate using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to emit radio waves that mobile device then pick up. The data packets that Beacons send are small and contain promotional information or content in regards to the retailer that is using it. The technology is based on operating at a small range, meaning that you won’t be bombarded with promotional content on your device constantly. Instead, you might receive a promotional data pack next time you walk past a store that uses a Beacon. Beacons are set to transmit the radio waves at a controlled and regular interval.
Now that you hopefully have a bit of a better understanding on what this technology is trying to achieve, let’s take a look at some of the more common mistakes developers make when developing iBeacon app:
Tackle the privacy issue
Privacy can be quite the sensitive topic in any business-customer relationship. Beacons can harvest considerable amounts of information about an individual, and also be very specific about it. It is understandable why people would have privacy concerns in this situation, and giving consumers the full rundown of how your app deals with privacy can lose you a lot of business.
Reinforcing the Bluetooth requirement
Another trap developers fall into is believing that informing users about the importance of Bluetooth once is enough. That’s not the case as most users will require reminders about this. Enticing them to turn on their Bluetooth isn’t always easy therefore this is the perfect time to give users a little sample of what they’re missing out on. Common practice suggests placing an intriguing message that acts as an error pop-up for whenever someone opens the iBeacon app without Bluetooth on.
No background scanning
Regardless of how experienced developers might be, Beacon technology is still a relatively new playing field and some don’t take into consideration the fact that Beacons need mobile apps to permanently scan. Otherwise, if apps only scan when users are actively present on the app, the app performance is heavily hindered. That is why developers need to be extra careful at implementing a background scanning.
Promote your app
No one will use your app if they don’t know it exists. It is important that you find various ways to promote the app. Educating the customers on what Beacon technology is will help them understand and decide if they need your app.
That being said, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the rising popularity of Beacon technology and subsequently on iBeacon apps, as many developers will look to grasp the opportunity to use the new hot thing.
Conclusion
No doubt, Beacons had a very underwhelming start, considering all the hype that was put into iBeacon after its initial announcement. With close to three years past since then, retailers and businesses are only now starting to catch on to the possibilities offered by Beacons. The only thing left now is to also implement a strong informational campaign that would bring consumers up to speed on what Beacons are as well. There is no point facilitating a feature that no one uses. But as was the case with any other new technologies, it won’t take long before users will seamlessly adopt it.
Mehul Rajput
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