iBeacon. How to use and set up a beacon

What is iBeacon?

iBeacon is an Apple standard that uses Bluetooth Low Energy beacons. When a customer with an iPhone (iOS) comes close, the phone can show a notification or open an app. An iBeacon tag constantly broadcasts a Bluetooth radio signal, and smartphones can pick it up at a distance of up to 50 meters.

What can you use it for?

Together with wallet cards, iBeacon is used as follows:

1. Easier use of wallet cards. Example: place a beacon near the checkout so the card opens quickly, which is more convenient for customers and speeds up service.
2. Mobile marketing. Examples for different businesses: HoReCA — place a beacon near displays or tables to draw attention to a product or promotion. Retail — when a visitor approaches a shelf, they get a notification that items on it are on special offer, from a new collection, and so on.

Another use is reminding customers about add-ons (a belt with trousers, a mount with a TV).

You can also tell the customer about points on their bonus account, which encourages a purchase and increases the average check.

In-store advertising tools let you influence a shopper who has already reached your business or a mall, and encourage a purchase whether or not they are ready to talk to staff.

Where to buy one?

A search query returns many offers from different vendors.

What is required for iBeacon to work?

• The customer has your company's card installed.
• The customer has an iPhone on iOS 7 or later that supports Bluetooth LE.
• Bluetooth is turned on.
• The iBeacon device is set up correctly (correct power).
• Notifications are set up correctly in the Passquare account.

How to set up iBeacon in Passquare

1. Go to Push messages.
2. Click Create push message.
3. Select iBeacon-push.
4. Open Message and enter the text.
5. Open Beacons.
6. Click Add iBeacon and enter the UUID (format XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX), Major (1-65534), and Minor (1-65534).
7. Update the cards.