Capterra Glossary
Bluetooth Beacon
A Bluetooth beacon used for proximity marketing is a small device that uses Bluetooth to trigger a push notification or in-app message on a personʻs mobile device once they are within a certain proximity to a geographic location.
For a proximity beacon to operate effectively, a person must have Bluetooth enabled on their mobile device, be within a reasonable proximity to the beacon, and have a relevant mobile application downloaded on their phone with push notifications enabled.
Beacons are most commonly used in proximity marketing, a marketing strategy in which businesses target customers based on how close a person or their device is to a specific location. Beacons allow businesses to more effectively target potential customers in close proximity to their storefront locations. Push notifications triggered by such beacons entice customers to check out a business' product and service offerings, even if they did not intend to previously.
What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About Bluetooth Beacon
Small and midsize organizations with brick-and-mortar storefronts can use beacon technology to entice in-store customers to buy certain items.
For example, say a customer walks into a small boutique and passes through their accessory section. A company could use a proximity beacon to sense that this customer is in the shoe section of their store and prompt the beacon to send the customer a push notification offering a buy-one-accessory-get-one-free coupon. This entices the customers to buy accessories from the store that they otherwise may have opted out of, benefiting the boutique's bottom line.