Beacons are small devices that take advantage of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and allow messages to be sent to smartphones once they are identified.
They, in order to function, make use of an APP, through which, with full respect for privacy, they send content to users in a profiled and geolocated manner.
They emit Bluetooth signals in predefined frequencies that can be easily detected by smartphones.
Their range is adjustable and can range from a minimum distance of 60 to a maximum of 100 meters. They are mostly powered by coin batteries and have an average life of three years.
Factors affecting battery life are:
- transmission power;
- transmission beam length;
- Time interval separating the sending of different signals.
Precisely because of the ability to reach users based on their location, beacons are among the most widely used hardware solutions for proximity marketing activities.
In fact, they are widely used in retail, but they are also perfectly suited to cultural-related contexts and institutions such as museums, fairs and events.
Providing the right information, to the right person and at the right time: beacons are for all intents and purposes effective promotional tools and also enable effective personalisation activities.
It should also not be forgotten that they are easily accessible tools in both economic and practical terms.
Finally, once installed, they also enable the collection of valuable information about user behaviour, such as:
- time spent on the site;
- articles that attracted the most interest;
- purchasing behaviours.
This is how the activities of personalisation and sending targeted communication are thus complemented by the ability to better profile and segment users in order to also provide for subsequent marketing activities aimed at enhancing their customer experience.
