ビーコン技術について聞いたことがありますか? Beacon テクノロジーは、2013 年に Apple がデビューして以来、大きな進歩を遂げており、今後も成長し続けることが期待されています。このテクノロジーに詳しくなく、ビジネスへの導入を検討している場合は、ビーコンについて知っておくべき 3 つの事項を次に示します。

ビーコン技術とは何ですか?

ビーコンは、低エネルギーの Bluetooth テクノロジーを使用して近くの他のスマート デバイスに信号を送信する小型の無線送信機です。これらは、位置情報テクノロジーと近接マーケティングにおける最新の開発の 1 つです。簡単に言うと、スマート デバイスに情報を接続して送信し、位置ベースの検索と対話をより簡単かつ正確にします。

ビーコンはどのように機能しますか?

ビーコンデバイス自体は非常にシンプルです。各デバイスには BLE SoC とバッテリーが含まれており、識別子を繰り返しブロードキャストすることで機能します。この識別子はデバイス (通常は携帯電話) によって取得され、環境内の重要な場所をマークします。

The identifier is a unique ID number that your smartphone recognizes as unique to the beacon. Once connected, the beacon will carry out whatever function it has been programmed to perform.

BLE as Bluetooth Beacon Technology

Beacon technology relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to send out messages at regular intervals. BLE is a power-efficient Bluetooth technology developed for the Internet of Things applications and devices like beacons. With BLE, a beacon needs only one coin cell battery every three years, and the technology is 60 to 80 percent cheaper than the classic Bluetooth.

What are Beacons used for?

At a retail store

You can pair beacons with a custom app to notify shoppers about limited in-store offers, deliver personalized promotions, and provide navigation at vast retail locations.

At a warehouse

You can set up a beacon-based indoor positioning system at a warehouse to simplify and speed up the navigation in its bigger areas for new employees and representatives of third parties. Paired with an enterprise software development solution, beacons also allow for indoor personnel tracking to improve on-premises security as well as asset tracking.

Exhibition marketing

Any important information that you want your visitors to know can be transmitted directly to any receptive devices that are within the range of your beacon. This could be simple promotion info to notify the user that they are within range of the exhibition hall. Or, the promotion info could be something more complex, like sending messages related to exhibits, and videos that you are next to.

Taking all this into account, it is safe to assume that more and more business locations will have beacons installed in them in the coming years. Ultimately, beacons will help us better understand our audience, supporting and complementing our other marketing activities.