Google Beacons

[KevnJr]

We received Google Beacons for each of our physical locations, the info from Google is:

• It transmits a signal via BLE to smartphones within 11 meters
• It will provide information to visitors and offer opportunities to see products and add reviews
• It's connected to your Google Ads account somehow
• It is "on" as soon as it's removed form it's box
• It has to be activated via a provided code

My question:

1. Where does the data transmitted by the Beacon come from?
2. How can I control that data?
3. Is it pulled from our GMB account?

THX for reading and responding, I'll add more to this as I learn more about Beacons.

KJr

PS: See ya @ MozCon

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Kevin,

I've never actually gotten to implement a beacon, but my understanding is that the data is pulled from Google's Places API. Looks like this gives the full scoop: https://developers.google.com/beacons/get-started

Happy travels to MozCon!

[KevnJr]

Here is the message I received from Google:

**Beacons transmit small bits of data like a random number or unique URL roughly once per second. These signals are readable by BLE-compatible devices, like smartphones and tablets, within a limited proximity range. Apps with the appropriate Bluetooth permissions can read these signals and perform actions. **

Beacons are an interesting new technology that will generate useful customer experiences and insightful analytics for your business. There are many reasons to participate, including:

• Store Visit Insights - Report on consumer behavior such as how long they spent in store & where they are going next
• Store Visit Integration - Signals for Google provided beacons will be utilized as an additional input to store visit reports as soon as they are installed

How does this actually work?

BLE beacons give users better location and proximity experiences by acting as digital lighthouses. They effectively “mark-up” (or tag) the real world for mobile devices to understand and use. For this store visits pilot, BLE beacons will be used to provide more precise indoor location “tagging” in situations where GPS does not work well (e.g., within a shopping mall). The user will have location history enabled and Bluetooth on for BLE beacons to register and inherently improve our store visits model.