Beacon Technologies
Foreword
You have in your hands a brilliant and informative resource written by a true thought leader in our industry. Having had a prime seat at the table as an early navigator in the space, I’ve watched Stephen lead the way, and I’m deeply honored to be able to provide an introduction to what I hope will help propel you into the bright and promising future of the beacosystem.
It used to be the retailers themselves were changing the way retail was done—with deals and promotions, coupons, and e-mail blasts. Now, it’s the retail marketing and technology companies transforming how those retailers retail. Innovation, however, often comes in pockets, and you often have to throw a test against the wall to see what sticks. In the realm of location-based marketing, that can mean testing with beacons, sending targeted e-mail promotions, and engaging with customers both online and off.
Location-based marketing will be a $43.3 billion market by 2019, but the segment, which encompasses various channels to enable a brand to expand its reach, should not be confused with mobile advertising, which is only one part of a much larger marketing ecosystem that includes billboards, display advertising, and other channels.
So many retailers are bogged down with the bottom line and revenue that they forget about what drives the bottom line: customers and customer experience. Beacons are an important part of the wider location based solution set available to aid in achieving these goals. At the Location Based Marketing Association (LBMA), we believe that retailers need to invest in and develop a strategy for deploying these solutions. We call this strategy a three-layer location cake.
It’s important to recognize that location-based marketing is really about recognizing location as a data set that spans many technologies, devices, and media types.
We all want to get to that top layer, the one with the icing and whip cream, the one that ultimately leads to transactions and revenue, but we can’t get there unless we drive the right customers to the store and create an experience that is engaging and rewarding for them.
