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Who and for what purpose is locating your smartphone? A few words about beacons

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ViQueen Ola
7 years ago
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3 min. of reading
This page has been automatically translated using machine translation

Beacons – what exactly are they and can they be considered a popular phenomenon in our country? Although there are fewer of them here than in many European countries, they are also becoming more widely used in Poland. We have many specialists in the country involved in the production and development of this technology, which is why we are sometimes called the "beacon Silicon Valley." What are these mysterious devices? Beacons are Bluetooth signal transmitters that are received by devices currently within their range. They are most widely used in the sales segment – this allows for easy reach to customers with a product that precisely meets their needs. Currently, over 8 million beacons have been deployed worldwide, but it is projected that by 2020, their number will increase to as many as 400 million.

The potential of beacons is immense, and the ways of using this technology are increasing – from trade and logistics to education itself – the solutions being introduced are becoming more practical and can significantly simplify our lives. An example of this is an initiative such as an application that allows travel on public transport without the need to buy a ticket – such solutions are already being tested in our country. The method of operation is simple: our device automatically connects to a beacon upon entering a bus or tram, and the application immediately purchases a time-based ticket, which is automatically extended if our journey continues. But there are many more examples of practical beacon usage.

Why this revolution? Beacons in practice

They are referred to as small lighthouses – this moniker they've earned due to their functioning, i.e., pulsed signal emission (hence their name). However, to receive a signal from this small device and read it on a smartphone, a special application is necessary. Once we equip our smartphone with the appropriate software, the signal from a beacon can reach us from a distance of up to 100 meters. This distance can be adjusted depending on the device's purpose – for example, if it's intended for indoor navigation, a beacon will only react when we get closer to it, for instance, within 10-20 meters. This is a convenient solution that doesn't require device pairing and doesn't bombard us with unwanted notifications (to receive them, we must give our consent).

The benefits of implementing beacons in retail are felt by both the companies introducing this solution and the consumers. On one hand, they are a treasure trove of knowledge about customer behavior, and on the other, they can significantly simplify shopping by guiding us directly to the departments and products that interest us most. By connecting with beacons, we will receive notifications about the latest promotions and offers currently valid in a selected store. It is worth noting, however, that these small transmitters are not just a driver of trade.

Not just offers and promotions

For instance, the company Nivea found an interesting application for this technology. During the holiday season, they included wristbands with beacons for children as a gift with their products.

After pairing the wristband with a smartphone, parents could track their children's location and immediately receive a notification if they wandered too far away. Beacons in many places around the world also facilitate navigation in spaces like airports or museums. They are also used in restaurants, which can be a life-saving functionality for many people who want to enjoy a meal in relative peace and on their own terms. After occupying a chosen table in a restaurant, our device connects to the beacon assigned to that spot, and we can select and click on a meal on our smartphone screen, which the waiter will then bring to our table. Payment by card or cash? That's also an option to choose in the app, as is the ability to split the bill among several people. It makes you want to go out to a restaurant, doesn't it? 🙂

In addition to the examples above, many more applications of this revolutionary technology could be listed.

Beacons are becoming increasingly common in logistics, the event industry (facilitating navigation at events and communication between participants), or, for example, in education (checking attendance and exchanging teaching materials between lecturers and students).

First and foremost, this technology creates immense possibilities for analytics and data collection. Despite beacons gaining popularity at a breakneck pace, the general public's knowledge about them is still limited, and consequently – we often approach them with a degree of mistrust. However, we assure you there's nothing to be afraid of – as user experiences show, these small transmitters can only make our lives significantly easier. 🙂

Have you had any experiences with beacons yet? We'd love to hear about them!

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