Beacon technology has been used in various businesses for quite some time now. From Apple’s initial introduction of iBeacon technology in 2013, a lot has changed. Demand for smart Bluetooth beacons, which are now widely employed in a variety of industries worldwide, is at an all-time high.
A recent study estimates that by 2030, the global market for smart beacons would have grown from its 2020 level of over $3 billion to over $103.9 billion, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.70% from 2021 to 2030.
Yet, why has there been a surge in demand? Where do we see the market going? And what fresh prospects exist for companies thanks to iBeacon apps development? Keep reading to find out more.
What Is a Bluetooth Beacon?
Smart beacons, also defined as ‘Bluetooth beacons,’ ‘BLE beacons,’ or simply ‘beacons,’ are small, wireless Bluetooth devices that broadcast signals visible to other Bluetooth supported devices, like smartphones. These tiny wireless devices use the Bluetooth Low Energy standard for their operation.
The beacon is not sending out a random signal. It’s sending a one-of-a-kind ID number that notifies the listening device which beacon is near to. When a smartphone app comes into contact with a beacon, it will read the beacon data, determine what action is assigned to the data, and carry out the action.
How Bluetooth Beacons Work
Beacon technology is mostly used for proximity advertising and marketing. It can be as easy as sending a push message to an app user with a discount code for a store the user is near, or describing a local event in the app itself. It may be simple, like using a user’s IP address, or it may be complicated, such as determining the user’s location using only the beacon’s position.
When a store deploys Beacon technology across its space, each one is given a unique ID in the corresponding mobile app. Any action programmed into the app by the shop can be triggered by the ID. Or they can collect data on the users in this space to help figure out how to improve it.
Past, Present, And Future Of Beacon Technology
As part of iOS 7, Apple introduced Beacon technology in 2013 with the debut of iBeacon. Apple made use of Beacons for in-store notifications. Since then, many retail establishments have adopted Beacon systems.
Bluetooth beacons allow retailers to communicate with in-store customers with minimal effort and cost. Proximity beacons not only let them productively interact with the appropriate people promptly, but they also collect data from the customers to fine-tune marketing strategies.
Beacon technology’s implementation in stores paves the way for other forms of proximity advertising. Proximity marketing beacons are a strong and cost-efficient technology that allows businesses to reach out to nearby customers with location-based notifications like promotions and discounts.
Following this, in 2016, Google announced Eddystone EID with the intention of enhancing user security during the authentication process. The uniqueness of the Eddystone beacon signals is one of its defining features. In comparison to the single type of signal that iBeacon emits, this one may generate three more types of connection signals. Eddystone beacon is compatible with both Apple and Google’s mobile operating systems.
The future of Beacon technology is more than just promising. Indoor navigation, worker security, elderly care, economical asset tracking, mobile ticketing, and many other use cases are seeing widespread adoption of Bluetooth-based solutions due in large part to their low price point and business efficiency.
Efficiency Of Beacon Technology For Businesses
Retail, transportation, education, hospitality, finance, travel, and other businesses use beacon technology to track and connect with customers. Beacon technology aids both front and back-end users in any business organization. It helps a company to control operations, gather data, implement marketing solutions, and provide individualized customer experiences.
Mobile beacons are frequently used in retail store shopping experiences via iBeacon apps. Beacon technology has numerous advantages, including low cost and easy installation, tailored client experience, high compatibility, and reliability.
Bluetooth-based solutions are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of uses because of their low cost, including indoor navigation, worker safety, elderly care, affordable asset tracking, mobile ticketing, and more. The evolution of iBeacon only continues.
Business-Friendly Impact Of Bluetooth Beacons
Provide trouble-free indoor navigation. Turn-by-turn directions can greatly aid in navigating unfamiliar areas of a facility. Help your staff and guests find the right meeting rooms quickly and easily.
Monitoring activity in rooms allows you to better gauge office utilization. Measurement of the meeting room, floor, and seat occupancy can help businesses cut costs, increase usage, and boost the level of employee happiness and productivity.
Put in place measures to ensure a risk-free workplace: You should probably set up some kind of automated system to keep track of how many people are in muster points and who is where in case of an emergency.
Plan the flow of guests: Improves visitor management by standardizing and streamlining visitor tracking in real-time, matching hosts with guests without sacrificing safety, security, or compliance.
Types of Beacon Technology
The market is segmented into conventional types such as iBeacon, Eddystone beacon, mobile beacons, Bluetooth beacons, and others. The terms iBeacon, smart beacons, and beacon are frequently used similarly; however, iBeacon refers to Apple’s beacon technology, whilst Eddystone beacon refers to Google’s, both of which are interoperable with iOS and Android mobile apps.
There are three types of connectivity that beacons can utilize:
Bluetooth low energy (BLE): Bluetooth low energy is a wireless communication protocol developed for short-distance communication. It works similarly to Wi-Fi in that it allows devices to interact, but BLE uses less battery power, has a shorter range, and transfers less data.
Wi-FI: The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi Aware in July 2015. Wi-Fi Aware is a low-power wireless networking standard created for indoor positioning reasons, much like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
Hybrid or combined technologies: Some beacon suppliers mix different kinds of locating technologies, while others specialize in just one.
At Diatom Enterprises , our software developers share years of experience in integration of Beacon technology into different types of software. Whether you want to create an app to promote your business or to keep track of customers to improve your marketing strategies, our company is ready to help. Our company Diatom Enterprises is one of the leading outsourcing companies in Europe providing top-notch software development services for various niches and projects. We implement the latest technological solutions and innovations to achieve the best business results possible. Whatever your project is, don’t hesitate to leave your message so we could get back to you to discuss our common goals.