Mobile App Europe 2014 Notes

iBeacons - The Opportunity

Notes on a session by Mark Mason (Mubaloo) at the Mobile App Europe 2014.

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Definition

• Beacons - blue tooth device
• iBeacons - Apple’s profile to do beacons

Contextually relevant information

• from right person
• at the right place
• at the right time

http://www.ibeacon.com/

##iBeacon - Technical Overview

• Low energy bluetooth (BLE) (running for days, up to 2 years, even 9 years with slow ping)
• Pings unique id
• Phone App installed: phone notifies to open the up the app
• Pings 100ms & configurable power

##iBeacon Triggers (Ranging)

• Proximity
  • immediate: 0.3m
  • near: 2m
  • far: 30m
• Entry/exit
• Time (dwell - e.g. ping after 1 minute), since last visit
• Visits
• Combinations

##UUIDs

• UUID - same for all beacons in all stores of a brand - “Welcome”
• UUID + MajorID - same for all beacons in one store or department - “Welcome to the sporting goods department, checkout our special …”
• UUID + MajorID + MinorID - individual for each beacon - A notification triggered when user gets to the golf section
  Message to the shop employee: someone is standing in the golf department

##User centric Just because we can doesn’t mean we should do it

##Use Case Showroom

• Welcome and identify current customers & potential new customers
• Maximize salesperson utilization
• Monitor vehicle engagement & showroom layout
• Improve overall showroom experience

##Use Case Transport Crossrail

• Driver logging and timetable accuracy (also maintenance, cleaning)
• Trigger relevant and dedicated apps
• Monitor and schedule maintenance personnel and equipment
• Monitor personnel activity (security personnel, changing routes)

##Use Case - Offices

• Room usage and availability
• Facilities/maintenance
• Hot desk availability
• Capacity planning (where to put certain things)

Position tracking - Beacons on top of WiFi based location determination

##Use Case Shopping centres

• Blue dot wayfinding, turn by tun directions an mall map
• Traffic flow analysis for retail lease rates
• Event alerts
• Profile responsive Adhells - what does this mean?
• Provision of customer incentives
• Car parking

##Use Case Retail

• Welcome valued customers (if they have the app installed)
• Sales-assistant assistant
• In-shop proximity marketing
• Merchandising analysis
• Payment

##Use Case Hospitality

• Automatic door entry
• In-room payment
• Hotel navigation
• Rewards
• Security

##Use Cases Events

• Blue dot wayfinding, layout
• Traffic flow analysis for outlet monitoring and queue busting
• Catering - order and pay direct from their seat
• Video playback of action from alternate view or archived video (knows where you sit - offer different position)
• A platform any team can use

##Use Case Theme Parks

• Park entry & blue dot wayfinding (GPS: has not the granularity)
• Queue busting
• Catering vouchers
• Video playback/photos of rides
• Viewing of previous photos in other queues (incentive to buy)

##Challenges

• BT is on
• Download app
• “What’s in it for me?”
• Developing a seamless omni-channel experience
• A well thought through content and context strategy

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