Retail is starting to use it to do specific adverts, for example, if you are walking around a department store and come within range of an iBeacon in the shoe department you would receive an advert for a discount on a certain brand of shoes and so forth.
Clubs could do this for special promotions in their shops, restaurants and other areas of their business. I personally would limit it to special offers as no one wants to see the same message pop up every time they pass a certain spot if they are a regular or staying at your hotel for a week!
On the other end of the scale, this technology can be used to completely transform the member’s experience.
For example (based upon a hotel golf resort experience)
The iBeacon is able to send a greeting to the member as soon as they enter the gate and send a notification to the clubhouse that this particular person has arrived. This can all be coded into the clubs CMS to enable the member’s profile to be brought up.
This can allow the following to happen:
- Valet can be ready to drop their car/collect their bags and know the person’s name and if staying overnight what room the member is staying in.
- The reception desk knows who has arrived and can start getting items ready for their check in, as well as greet them personally by their name.
- The pro-shop can also be notified of their arrival and have their buggy ready, etc.
And so on.
Because of its micro tracking and your own choosing of iBeacon placement, your club would be able to notify the restaurant, the bar, the golf club, the spa, etc. the arrival of the member and enable your staff to greet the member by name and, dependent upon you records, know what their preferences are or even if they are allergic to certain things.
