By Marc Ferrentino, Nomi
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably been bombarded with the hype surrounding Bluetooth LE beacons. What the headlines don’t tell you are some of the technical hurdles to overcome before launching your first beacon deployment. Here are 4 must know topics we’ve learned at Nomi after launching the world’s largest beacon deployment:
Fleet Management
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When deploying hundreds, or thousands of beacons across multiple stores or an entire chain, management becomes crucial. You cannot expect store managers to test beacons daily, so a platform capable of sending automated notifications when a beacon is moved, lost or loses battery is essential. You will also need a content management system to ensure the right beacon triggers the right location-aware message.
User Permissions
Ask yourself what data you would like to share with each employee? Should a store manager have access to other store’s data? If you’re not comfortable with that, make sure the beacon platform you use offers permissioning controls. Can the analytics dashboard be customized to populate only KPI’s relevant to an individual’s role?
Signal Coverage/Range
Beacons use Bluetooth to communicate. It is important to remember that store environments can affect that signal. Be sure to investigate sight-specific issues like what materials will obstruct a beacon’s range. Nomi has deployed beacons within wooden product displays and behind glass encased window displays without any interference, but found that other materials like marble significantly impaired beacon signals. Deploy additional beacons to work around obstructions. Installing beacons above shoulder height will help with a cleaner path for signals. Beacons ranges set between 20 feet to 30 feet is recommended.
Security
It’s important to ensure your beacons cannot be “piggy-backed’ by competitors who wish to send their own messaging using your hardware. Some questions to ask your beacon provider(s):
Are the beacons configurable? If so, they are susceptible to being hacked. Are the beacons password protected? Passwords help prevent piggybacking. Is security based on standard iBeacon protocol or a proprietary protocol? If the security is based on proprietary protocol, make sure it’s forward compatible as the technology transforms. What other securities are in place to prevent 3rd party access without permission?
These points will help ensure your first beacon deployment is a huge success.
Marc Ferrentino is the CEO of Nomo and a veteran enterprise technologist. He formerly served as the Chief Technical Officer at BMCS Software Advisor to Breadcrumb POS (acquired by Groupon). Ferrentino previously served as the Chief Technical Architect for Salesforce.com where he helped oversee R&D, Customer Success, Sales, and Enterprise Strategy efforts. Ferrentino’s responsibilities have ranged from early stage product development, evangelism, to developing Salesforce.com’s Collaboration and Platform strategic direction. Prior to Salesforce.com, Ferrentino served as the Vice President of Engineering at Vettro Corp. He also served as Vice President of Development at InternetCash.com. Over the course of his career, Ferrentino has held technology positions at Goldman Sachs and Westinghouse/Cutler-Hammer.
