iBeacon is a powerful mobile marketing platform which has been around for over year now, and just now, Samsung has announced ‘Proximity’ – the device which is the Korean giant’s answer to Apple’s iBeacon.
I can quote here what Proximity does according to Samsung, but it’s just some beautifully crafted sentences about a location based mobile marketing technology that iBeacons has already introduced, but if you were living under a rock, all hail Samsung the innovator! Honestly we’ve seen a reversal of roles here. See what I did there?
For those not familiar with location based mobile advertising / marketing, Samsung’s Proximity simply enables communication between your mobile phone and the places you go – which of course houses a broadcast device to send out information to the mobiles in the ‘Proximity’. Make no mistake, it is a beacon, which serves devices in a certain ‘Proximity’.
Walking into a store say, Walmart which has Proximity set up via in-house transmitters, the store will reach out to mobile (read smartphone) users with information on the newest deals, offers or even limited time offers, nearest fire exit – getting carried away – etc.
However, this is just a crude application of this technology, though I have a feeling it will be the most widely used one at shopping stores or malls. Purpose being sharing of dynamic information according to location context, the technology can be applied to various scenarios including large scale project management, guides tours, floor plans and so much more.
Keeping the complexity of this in mind, Samsung offers a Web Console as well for administrators or "marketers to create and manage location-based marketing campaigns while measuring their direct impact."
So how exactly is Samsung’s Proximity different than Apple’s iBeacon, if it is different at all? iBeacon only works through the App Store software in iOS, but Proximity is designed to function at a system-level, essentially resembling a push notification design, which also removes the need to have a certain retailer’s application installed on your phone. So wherever you go, you will be stalked and subjected to an onslaught of offers ranging from sodas to electronics to cereals.
Proximity, like iBeacon will be using a variety of low-powered Bluetooth beacons. Samsung is apparently all set and ready to introduce proximity to various locations as per any company’s expressed interest.
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