Tag Archives: beacons

Is Mobile The Missing Piece to Your Marketing Strategy?

As consumer behaviors shift so must marketing strategies. Mobile is no longer the second screen, so why is mobile still at the bottom of business’s marketing plans? Salesforce’ State of Marketing report revealed that 90 percent of marketers agree that it’s increasingly important to “create a cohesive customer journey.” What is the most effective technology to enable a complete journey? Mobile.

There are a number of ways to implement mobile marketing into your strategy. At the very basic, all websites should be mobile responsive. A poorly designed mobile website will disrupt your customer’s journey by providing a poor user experience. For example, if a customer wants to make a purchase on their smartphone, being unable to do so because of a poor design or experience could result in not only a lost sale but a lost customer if your competitors have already optimized for mobile.

What can you do integrate mobile into your marketing strategy? Almost half of surveyed marketers use SMS, push notifications, mobile apps or location-based functionality — up from 23 percent last year. Mobile apps are one of the most expensive option but can be great for news sites and web services. For e-commerce businesses, mobile ads might be a simpler option to drive users to their website. Retailers have many innovative opportunities to integrate not only mobile ads and apps into their website but location-based technologies like iBeacons, push notifications and geofencing. Right now, only 18 percent of surveyed marketers are using these technologies.

As marketers continue to understand the power of mobile tactics, they should no longer be part of a separate strategy but an integral part of overall marketing plans.

How will the Internet of Things Impact Retail In 2015?

Retail

The Internet of Things has exploded over the last couple of years as smartphones and the ability to be always connected has become an increasingly integral part of our lives. Bonnie Cha at re/code describes the Internet of Things as “the connection of everyday objects to the Internet and to one another, with the goal being to provide users with smarter, more efficient experiences.” You can see her “Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Internet of Things” here.

Google’s acquisition of Nest last year set the stage for IoT to expand this year and the conversation about IoT’s impact on everyday life was discussed widely at CES. Consumers are increasingly aware of connected homes and cars. A study by Affinnova showed that consumers mostly want connected home appliances and products like refrigerators that enable remote viewing of your contents and recommends recipes, smart light bulbs that notify you when a bulb has gone out and connected sprinkler systems.

But how is the Internet of Things impacting retail? First, connected home sensors that send notifications to your phone to indicate when you out of a product like washing detergent, milk, or light bulbs are great for retailers. Creating a easy way for consumers to order these products right from their phone means that retailers have the opportunity to improve customer experiences and loyalty.

Next, connected technologies like beacons and NFC will likely increase in 2015. These technologies enable retailers to communicate with consumers in a meaningful way based on their location, delivering deals and notifications that are relevant in real time. The iPhone 6 and ApplePay will also influence retailers to adopt NFC technologies for easy checkout experiences.

The most important thing for retailers to take advantage with the Internet of Things right now is data. Whether connecting your products to home sensors or using in-store location technologies, analyzing data will enable retailers to better understand their customers. When are they shopping? Are they accessing your app while in store or at home? Do they prefer app notifications, or SMS? The more brands and retailers understand their customers, the more they will be able to connect with them at the right time, place and in the right manner.

How do you see IoT impacting retail this year?

 

The Difference In Using NFC and Beacons

More and more brands are recognizing the value in adopting mobile marketing and location-based technologies to reach consumers. For brands new to these tools, it’s important to understand the different options available and the best scenarios to use NFC versus beacons. Choosing the right technology for your campaign and brand is critical in reaching your consumers in the most meaningful way, and achieving desirable results.

Cary Stemle has one of the easiest breakdowns of different location technologies:

“Think of it this way: Cellular communications provide wireless coverage with a footprint measured in miles; WiFi’s footprint is measured in yards; BLE’s is measured in feet; and NFC’s in centimeters.”

Let’s talk about beacons first. Beacons work on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) which communicates a signal between a bluetooth-enabled device and the beacon’s transmitter. If you want to reach consumers in a wide, general vicinity, beacons are the way to go. You can push coupons, store promotions and messages at very inexpensive prices. Using the Tactify platform, you can easily update your messaging and branding, and measure engagement and conversions. Beacons are great for high traffic areas, entertainment venues and events.

NFC, on the other hand, is a more personalized experience. NFC tags communicate with mobile phones only when the phone is in extremely close proximity – usually a few centimeters – which gives consumers more control over when they get notifications (and who can see their data) . NFC is best for payments and specific tickets and access cards. For example, you could place an NFC tag on an event poster. Interested consumers would be able to tap the tag with their phones and access more information. With beacons, every bluetooth-enabled  phone that passed by would receive a message about the event, which may be overwhelming. Another use case is handing out NFC-enabled rewards or business cards.

There are a number of creative ways brands are using both beacons and NFC to market to their customers – and reach them right on their phones! Check out Tactify’s solutions here – load, update and track your campaigns from one central dashboard.

Mobile Marketing Predictions for 2015

Shopping with mobile
We have seen some amazing breakthroughs and innovations in the mobile space during 2014. Brands have embraced the power of beacons in campaigns, ads have become more relevant, and ApplePay could potentially revolutionize mobile payments. Businesses are beginning to understand how mobile marketing and tactics can increase sales and build a better relationship with their customers. So what can we expect to see in 2015?

Mobile payments

ApplePay could make mobile payments mainstream. Brands and apps, especially those that are retail-focused, can now make the user experience even more seamless. Eighty-six percent of shoppers use their smartphone to compare prices and browse sales. Connecting these with the ability to make a purchase without entering credit card information, or by just using their phone in store, will make an easier and faster shopping experience, in store and online.

More Location Based Marketing

Major retailers like Lord & Taylor and Walgreen’s have rolled out major pilot programs to test the effectiveness of using iBeacons for in-store marketing. In 2015, expect to see more brands using iBeacons, geofencing and push notifications to engage with customers and create innovative campaigns. About half of consumers say they are open to sharing their location and information in order to join a rewards program.

Better Content & UX

With the ability to use location and big data to better understand users and customers, expect to see better content and more intelligent UX.  Advertisers, marketers and publishers recognize the effectiveness of delivering more relevant content using these tools, and are using new methods to understand how to connect better. Expect apps, ads and content to become more engaging and relevant.

What trends would you like to see in 2015?

Tactify Will Be Competing In The Web Summit PITCH Competition!

The Web Summit in DublinWe are excited to announce we will be participating at The Web Summit annual PITCH Competition in Dublin! On November 4 – 6, 2014, we’ll be joining 200 other startups for a three round competition. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to at Tactify and how we’re bringing the internet of marketing to everyone.

Due to the expansion of the Internet of Things, the mobile advertising marketing is exploding and increasing exponentially year by year. We created Tactify so businesses, small and large, can easily use the newest mobile technologies in their campaigns, such as beacons, NFC, QR codes and geofencing. In two minutes, you can create fully responsive mobile and in-app content for events, info points, price promotions, product information and contact profiles. Update and measure all from our centralized dashboard without a line of coding involved!

We’ve worked some amazing brands in the last year including Spotify, Pandora, Sony and the BBC, and helped advertising agency JWT create an interactive beacon campaign for the Melbourne Writer’s Festival.

If you’ll be at The Summit, be sure to stop by our booth and hear our pitch on stage. We’ll be at booth HIP312 in The Village on November 5th and ETP107 in Simmonscourt on November 6th.

You can also help us get to the semi-finals by tweeting @Tactify with #pitchvote between 9am – 5pm on November 4th and 5th (only tweets from Dublin count). The two startups with the most votes will get a spot in the semi-finals.

Hope to see you there!

How to Use Mobile to Increase Retail Sales

mobile shopper holding iPhone

The ability to use mobile in marketing campaigns brings heaps of opportunities to increase retail sales. At Tactify, we believe that independent stores should be able to have campaigns that are as innovative and impactful as multinational stores. No matter the size of your store or staff, there are a number of ways to increase sales and expand your brand.

First off, there are huge benefits to incorporating mobile into your marketing campaigns. Almost two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone – and 55 percent of consumers who use coupons on their smartphone end up spending more money in store or online than they originally anticipated.  A new study showed that mobile plays an integral part in the shopping experience of millennial moms – with a third saying mobile played a part in the inspiration and research part of shopping, and half saying they turned to their phones in-store to communicate with friends and family about their purchasing decisions.

So how can you increase your retails sales with mobile? Here are a few options:

  • Send push notifications using geofencing or beacon technologies to communicate with your customers based on their location.
  • Use NFC stickers or QR codes around the store offering coupons and reward points.
  • Reward customers who check in on social media and/or share their purchases with friends. Use NFC, QR and push notifications to make this even easier.
  • For iPhone users, integrate coupons and rewards cards with Passbook. Customers can easily save and access these on their phones (without a separate app) and eventually this will link to ApplePay.
  • Integrate your social media with coupons and rewards to redeem in-store or online.
  • Stay on top of the latest technologies like ApplePay to give customers the easiest and fastest check-out experience.

With any marketing campaign, make sure to use analytics to constantly evaluate and optimize your campaigns. Test which tactics get the most engagement with your customers and result in the highest ROI.

Check out Tactify’s products and mobile marketing solutions here.

The Scoop on Beacons & Privacy

beacons and privacy

Location based services, specifically beacons, have raised some privacy concerns recently. Due to recent hacking and tracking controversies,  sharing their location doesn’t appeal to all consumers — though most are willing to share their location in return for discounts, coupons or other rewards. When it comes to using beacons for marketing campaigns, there are a few key points for consumers and marketers to understand in order to calm any privacy concerns.

First, beacons work only when a user has installed something – either an app or a Passbook pass. If neither of these are installed, beacons will not communicate with your phone.

Second, bluetooth needs to be turned on in order for beacons to work. If bluetooth is disabled, then beacons are unable to transmit any messages.  (more…)

Beacon Campaigns Taking Mobile to the Next Level

Beacons are taking mobile to a new level. They are helping add location and context to mobile communications and therefore, delivering more relevant information to consumers. What does this mean? More useful information, higher brand awareness and more innovative campaigns. These are some of the coolest beacon campaigns we have seen and worked on.

mobile beaconsHillshire Brands showed everyone how to increase sausage sales. Consumers who had the Epicurious or Key Ring apps received branded notifications from Hillshire when they were in supermarkets that work with the apps. There were also banner ads for the sausages within the app. The results? Purchase intent increased 20 percent and brand awareness increased 36 percent.

The Melbourne Writer’s Festival worked with us to put together a choose-your-own-adventure storytelling app using beacons and it was one of our favorite campaigns to date. Consumers could walk through the city listening to original short stories that referenced places and landmarks, and literally choose different endings based on the direction they walked. Check out the video here.

Lord & Taylor, Hudson Bay, Walgreens & Duane Reade are all testing pilot programs with beacons in store. Lord & Taylor and Hudson Bay stores are sending notifications based on where shoppers are within the store, giving a more personalized flair.

Last, a number of airports have introduced beacons to make traveling more easy. Passengers can receive notifications on the status of their flight, gate changes and look up nearby shops and eateries.

In addition to these innovative uses, we have seen and read about a lot of beacon scavenger hunts at conferences and in-store promotions.

What are some of your favorite beacon campaigns?

Tactify Creates Twists & Turns App for Melbourne Writer’s Festival

Twists and Turns Melbourne Writer's FestivalHave you ever wished you could choose the outcome of your favorite story? We’re excited to announce Twists and Turns, the first-ever choose your own adventure storytelling app, is now available for the Melbourne Writer’s Festival! Created for advertising agency, JWT, Twists & Turns uses beacons located throughout the city to determine a variety of storylines told within the app based on which street a user walks down.

There are three fictional stories that reference key locations throughout Melbourne, each with four different versions. Using a network of beacons placed throughout the city, the app maps physical locations to specific chapters of the stories. Depending on which street a user walks down, different storylines are triggered. You can see the stories come to life and determine which direction you want the story to go as you “twist and turn” throughout the city. (more…)

What Are The Next Mobile Trends?

Has 2014 been the ‘year of mobile? There has definitely been significant growth in mobile usage, app growth and technologies like beacons and geofences — but don’t expect to see any of these slow down in the next few years. At the beginning of 2014, 9 in 10 Americans owned a mobile phone, 60 percent owned a smartphone and mobile usage surpassed the PC. According to Nielsen, the average U.S. consumer spends 34 hours every month on mobile devices and owns four “smart” devices (smartphone, tablet, HDTV, PC, gaming console). We are connected 24/7.

With the plethora of data being produced and gathered across all these connected devices, businesses are just beginning to process the endless possibilities for creating more relevant content, products and information for mobile users. Smartphones are used for everything from shopping, messaging, booking travel, checking-in and consuming news and content. And whatever is not done on a smartphone is likely done on another connected device. The phase of making things “mobile” is over. The next phase? Understanding the data to create more relevant and personalized experiences.

Activities Among Mobile Shoppers

Credit: Nielsen

1. Location and proximity targeting

With the growing popularity and usage of beacons, location is becoming a huge part of mobile strategies. Companies have been using geofencing for quite a few years to trigger certain actions on mobile. Beacons allow businesses to produce even more targeted content based on indoor locations. Getting ready to check into your flight? You might receive a notification telling you when to get your boarding pass and ID out.

2. Context and personalization

With accounts connected across a number of devices, businesses will be able to use data and technology to produce more personalized and context-aware content. Imagine walking into a retailer and receiving a message that the shirt you were saw online the night before is on sale and available in store. Smart devices and apps will be able to understand individual habits based on your device usage and data. Matched with location capabilities, consumers will be served not just relevant content but information relevant to that exact time.

3. Higher app engagement and more conversions

According to Flurry, smartphone owners are using app 86 percent of the time compared to mobile browsers. Most major retailers, airlines and brands have already released their own apps. Matching those with location-aware and personalized content will produce higher engagement and conversion rates. Providing coupons based on shopping lists, or events in an area based on travel plans will make apps more useful to consumers. For iPhone users, iOS 8 will suggest apps on the lock screen based on location. This will not only help consumers more easily open apps they need but will also increase awareness of apps and potentially increase downloads.

4. NFC takes hold

Near field communication (NFC) continues to grow in the market mostly due to payments. If Apple releases an NFC-compatible iPhone 6 this fall, there will likely be an increase in mobile payments and innovative uses for NFC in marketing campaigns, advertising, business cardsconnected products and travel experiences.
What other trends do you expect to take off in the next year?

What is Geofencing?

9583733811_ebd75013d9_zBrands are embracing proximity marketing as a way to engage with their audience and customers in unique, targeted, and personal ways. Thanks to mobile adoption and increased technologies, marketers are experimenting with all kinds of location-specific messaging — alerts and messages, coupons, local search, social media interactions and more.

For brands with physical locations to use, geofencing is one of the options for proximity marketing. Geofencing creates a virtual fence around a specific area where companies can enable communications to mobile devices within the perimeter. Geofencing works through an app or a network-based geofence. When deciding which way to go, it really comes down to your budget and long term goals — if you’re looking to increase app engagement and mobile sales, you might want to build or leverage an app. If your budget is smaller or you there are no long term benefits of having an app, just use network capabilities.

One important thing to mention is the difference between geofencing and iBeacons. Geofencing is optimized for larger and outdoor locations, between 50 and 50,000 meters while beacons have a maximum range of 30 meters and are better used indoors. Beacons require special hardware to be installed, Bluetooth must be enabled and work on iPhone 4s or newer, and iOS 7 or newer. Geofencing does not require special hardware or connection to access points (though WiFi will create higher accuracy). Geofencing will work on iOS 5 or newer, and iPhone 4 or newer.

Location based marketing — whether utilized through geofencing or beacons — brings huge opportunities to marketers to increase ROI, build customer loyalty and reduce expenses. Since the messaging is locally-targeted and contextual, you can engage in meaningful ways. If sales are slowing down at a specific time, send a coupon. If you’re having a special event, send a reminder. Encourage your customers to connect on social media. And most importantly, use data to analyze and adjust your marketing campaigns.

Let us know how your brand is using geofencing!

Photo Credit: Doug Zwick

Helping Build the Next Generation of the Legacy Project Chicago

​We are happy to announce that Tactify is partnering with The Legacy Project in Chicago to create a new digitally interactive experience for visitors. The Legacy Walk is an outdoor museum showcasing LGBT contributions to history and runs along North Halsted Street. Visitors will now be able to supplement their experience on the Legacy Walk by accessing their entire database on their mobile devices by tapping over an NFC chip or scanning a QR code.

Legacy Project Co-Founder and Executive Director Victor Salvo (center) takes a photo-op break with Tactify Co-Founder Richard Dupé (right) and Tactify National Account Manager, Daniel Beatty.

Legacy Project Co-Founder and Executive Director Victor Salvo (center) takes a photo-op break with Tactify Co-Founder Richard Dupé (right) and Tactify National Account Manager, Daniel Beatty.

Once implemented, the existing plaques will be supplemented with video, images and audio content, providing an even richer experience for visitors. Eventually, each plaque will be enabled with beacons, making it even easier to learn about the inspiring people who are celebrated throughout the Legacy Walk.

Full NFC and QR code implementation is expected in June 2015 – LGBT Pride Month  – in advance of the dedication of Phase IV of the Legacy Walk next fall. Make sure to follow Tactify and The Legacy Project on Twitter for continuous updates. You can learn more about visiting The Legacy Project here.

 

Integrating iBeacons into Your Mobile Strategy

Context, not content, is the new king. The opportunities to add customization to marketing strategies are endless with the use of big data, social media and location tools. iBeacons present the perfect opportunity to use these tools to better engage with audiences and customers. Using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), iBeacons send notifications based on proximity to bluetooth-enabled smartphones. For retailers, event marketers and travel brands (amongst many others), implementing a context-heavy iBeacon strategy can result in higher sales, brand awareness and strong customer engagement. These are some of the first considerations to take when integrating iBeacons into a marketing strategy.

To App or Not to App?

In order for iBeacons to work, there has to be the actual beacon hardware, a bluetooth-enabled mobile device and something for the beacon to communicate with. Most brands choose to use their own native app to push iBeacon notifications because they are already built and have additional functionality such as mobile shopping, rewards programs, etc. Building these apps can be extremely time consuming and expensive, though. Perhaps you want to consider creating a pass that works with Passbook instead. This will still allow context-aware notifications based on location but save on time and money. Choosing the best option depends on budget and marketing goals.

2. Proximity and Context

The next step in developing an iBeacon strategy is choosing the proper communications to send. With iBeacons, you can send a variety of notifications based on a smartphone’s proximity to the hardware. For example; a welcome message can appear when walking through the door and a notification about a special sale can appear when the user approaches a specific product. Keep the customer in mind when developing these commuications — what are they interested in learning about? How many times do they want to receive notifications? Remember, context is key. Know your customer and use appropriate language. Don’t overwhelm them with too many notifications!

3. Integration

Once you have decided on an iBeacon strategy that works with your brand, integrate it into your overall marketing plan. Drive app downloads or pass installs on Passbook, and encourage people to the vicinity of the iBeacons, in social media and email communications. Make sure your customers have the ability to share their experience on their own social media channels and through email and text messages. Implement A/B testing and appropriate measurement systems to test and improve your communications.

Check out these best practices for mobile marketing for more tips on optimizing your iBeacon strategy.

Best Practices for Mobile Marketing

Mobile advertisingimages is growing five times faster than desktop internet marketing and the reasons are simple. Consumers spend the majority of their time looking at their phones and use their smartphones for everything from communicating to finding the next deal to research and games. No matter your business, mobile marketing is something to consider. If you’re ready to make the leap, these are some best practices to consider when developing your mobile marketing or advertising campaign.

 

Relevance

Mobile marketing is all about relevance. Define your audience and figure out what they want. For example, Millennials are constantly looking for the best deals and coupons.

Personal

Make your messaging personal — don’t just use a generic message. The power of mobile and big data is that you can identify locations and interests. Use this to your advantage.

Simplify

Mobile screens are small so keep your design simple and intuitive. The easier to launch and navigate your app, Passbook or website, the more likely consumers will use it and return.

Location

Forty percent of searches on mobile are local. With the power of NFC, iBeacons and geofencing, you can use location to send hypercontextual and personalized messages. With iBeacons, you can send two different notifications when a customer walks into a store and when they approach the sale rack.

Social

As if we had to say it — be social! Make it easy for consumers to both follow your brand on social media and share with their networks. Automate fun, personalized messages that will increase engagement with your brand.

What is the best mobile marketing campaign you’ve seen?

 

3 Beacon Myths Exposed

Beacons — ever since Apple deployed them in their stores last fall businesses have been exploring and testing a number of ways to use them. Businesses are jumping on board because of the opportunity to reach consumers where they spend most of their time — on their phones. In fact, almost three quarters of Millennials said they would be interested in using their mobile to connect with brands’ loyalty programs. Beacons present the perfect opportunity.

ibeacons

Photo via VektorDigital

Retailers have started pilot programs, stadiums have them in place for baseball season and some airlines are even using them to make travel easier. While beacons have gained some momentum, they are still new to the market and have some misconceptions. We clarified three of the most popular myths. If you have other questions about beacons, let us know below!

Myth #1: Beacons are exclusive to Apple devices.

More often than not, you’ll hear iBeacon instead of just beacon. Apple trademarked “iBeacon” to indicate their specific technology standard which all Apple devices with iOS 7 or later use. However, Android devices can receive communications from iBeacons, too. All beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to locate devices and push hyper-contextual notifications. The main difference is that Android devices cannot transmit information to iBeacons.

Myth #2: You need an app for beacons to work.

Most businesses using beacons are pushing notifications through their apps — and this will probably be the norm for a while. Walgreens, American Eagle and Macy’s have all deployed beacon programs that communicate in-store with customers who have downloaded their apps. However, Passbook presents another opportunity for marketers and businesses to utilize beacon technology. Instead of downloading an app, consumers would be required to add a store-specific pass or loyalty card to Passbook. The use of Passbook with beacons is definitely a space to watch.

Myth #3: Beacons are tracking you and collecting data.

Privacy has been a concern in the adoption of beacons due to their location-specific technology. However, beacons simply recognize the Bluetooth in mobile devices to trigger specific notifications based on location. Depending on the range between a mobile device and the beacon, different notifications can be sent. The beacons themselves do not track customers, cannot identify who you are and do not collect data.

Have more questions about beacons and how they work? Drop them below!