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The Rich World's Electronic Waste, Dumped in Ghana - Bloomberg - 0 views

  • the Agbogbloshie dump, a wasteland dotted with burning mounds of trash in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
  • Up to 10,000 workers wade through tons of discarded goods as part of an enormous, informal recycling process, in what has become one of the world’s largest destinations for used electronic goods.#lazy-img-360452765:before{padding-top:66.70212765957447%;}
  • Burns, back problems, and infected wounds
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  • respiratory problems, chronic nausea, and debilitating headaches
  • —brought on by the hazardous working environment and toxic air pollution.
  • smashing up old computers and televisions in search of valuable parts and burning insulated cables to recover copper.
  • The Agbogbloshie dump is a result of the world’s increasing demand for electronic equipment as consumers continually upgrade their devices and throw out the older ones.
  • The e-waste problem could expand into a global health crisis,
  • significant proportion of this electronic waste is sent, often illegally, from the West to developing countries across Africa and Asia.
  • Around 50 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is being thrown away each year, according to a report published this year by the United Nations.
  • figure is projected to double by 2050.
  • only 20 percent of e-waste is thought to be recycled appropriately.
  • The rest “ends up in landfill, or is disposed of by informal workers in poor conditions,” the UN found.
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  • “E-waste is a growing global challenge that poses a serious threat to the environment and human health worldwide,”
  • In Ghana, the waste arrives via the Port of Tema, 20 miles to the east of the Agbogbloshie dump.
  • They are often labeled as secondhand consumer products, health experts said, so they are not strictly considered waste.
  • “There are skin diseases and ailments [at Agbogbloshie], but the worst problem here is respiratory illnesses, because the amount of pollution here is so high,”
  • the quality of air is terrible
  • “The workers can’t do anything about it because they have to earn a living, so it’s a trade-off. They earn money but their health suffers.”
  • These health risks are entering the food chain. The Agbogbloshie area is home to one of the largest food markets in Accra, and haggard livestock roam freely and graze on the dumpsite.
  • Agbogbloshie contained some of the most hazardous chemicals on earth.
  • One egg hatched by a free-range chicken in Agbogbloshie exceeded European Food Safety Authority limits on chlorinated dioxins, which can cause cancer and damage the immune system, 220 times over.
  • about 80,000 men, women, and children subsist from the Agbogbloshie dump, living either on-site or in the adjacent slum.
  • Ghana imports about 150,000 tons of secondhand electronics a year,
  • an international treaty that since 1989 has forbidden developed nations from carrying out unauthorized dumping of e-waste in less developed countries.
  • It is very important the issue of waste export to developing countries such as Africa and other countries in transition should be looked at critically.”
  • The German development agency GIZ is in the midst of delivering a €5 million ($5.5 million) project to build a sustainable, efficient recycling system at Agbogbloshie, as well as a health clinic and football pitch for workers.
  • But as the world’s appetite for electronics keeps growing, preventing the illegal dumping of electronic waste and the devastating impact it has on places like Agbogbloshie will prove an even greater challenge.
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    The effects of electronic waste dumping in the Agbogbloshie dump in Accra, the capital of Ghana. It also talks about the health issues workers suffer from working there, and the problem is predicted to get much worse than it already is.
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The Impact of AI on the Hospitality Industry | by Willa Zhou | Towards Data Science - 0 views

  • Countless hospitality industry leaders are increasingly leveraging the use of one specific tool in their hotels to increase personalization and exceed customer expectations: artificial intelligence or more commonly known as AI.
  • More and more hotels, especially large global hotel chains such as Marriott International, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment, have started implementing the use of AI in their hotels in the form of chatbot messaging, AI powered customer service, and data analytics in hopes of redefining the current industry standards on a personalized guest experience.
  • Marriott International, for example, has multiple chatbots including Marriott Rewards chatbots which are available on various platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Slack, WeChat, and Google Assistant (Bethesda
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  • By allowing guests to communicate in their native languages, chatbots seamlessly remove the language barrier with guests from all over the world
  • ilton introduced the world’s first AI powered hotel concierge robot named Connie, after its founder Conrad Hilton,
  • Connie was developed in collaboration with IBM with three main goals in mind: to decrease wait time in line, provide added efficiency in hotel operations, and surprise guests with an innovative and completely unique too
  • Connie is able to inform guests on hotel features, local attractions, and dining recommendations just like any front desk agent, concierge, or hotel phone operator would
  • Besides customer service improvements through chatbots and concierge robots, AI has also impacted the hospitality industry with the use of data analytics.
  • AI demonstrates a real promise in increasing convenience, enhancing personalization, as well as raising satisfaction and loyalty for hotel guests
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    This article talks about AI in hotels. For example, the article mentioned the use of chat boxes for Marriot International. Another example is Connie, the first AI powered hotel concierge robot at the Hitlon. It is a unique tool and can help decrease wait time and provide added efficiency in hotel operations.
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The blessing and curse of proximity marketing | Marketing Dive - 1 views

  • Over the last few years, retailers have increasingly seen consumers migrate away from brick-and-mortar retail stores in favor of convenient digital outlets.
  • Proximity marketing is a way to appeal to these fundamental consumer desires without sacrificing a focus on the in-store experience. 
  • This type of technology has potentially widespread applications for retailers and marketers working in partnership with each other and sharing data — for example, in airports or shopping malls where a specific marketer may not have a relationship with a particular consumer, but can provide a platform where other retailers can integrate their apps and reach out to that consumer.
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  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has brought several enforcement actions against both online and offline companies for failing to comply with their posted privacy policies, failing to adequately safeguard data, failing to honor consumer opt-out promises and for a general lack of transparency.
  • Today's consumers engage in a shorter purchasing process, but the essential principles that underlie business-to-consumer marketing have not changed — consumers still make emotional buying decisions, they still want to comparison shop t
    • ngerv001
       
      Proximity marketing provides a means to place targeted messages in the hands of consumers, literally. It's the next best thing to actually walking up and putting a product in a customer's hands yourself. Customers might walk right by a sign and ignore it or scroll right past an ad in a social feed but a notification can't be overlooked quite so easily. Sending messages directly to nearby mobile users' phones increases engagement dramatically. Beacons drive promotions that are relevant to what clients are looking for, in real time, in places where it is easy for them to make a purchase.
  • According to recent studies, including a report by Retail Touchpoints, nearly half of retailers in the U.S. la
  • Whether you are a fashion retailer or a chain drugstore, proximity marketing should be on your radar
  • unched proximity marketing programs going into 2016, and the number has only skyrocketed this year. 
  • Department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, as well as major fashion retailers such as Urban Outfitters and American Eagle, are already using beacons to target consumers based on their physical location
  • t a basic level, beacons emit radio signals to connect with nearby consumers’ mobile devices, working in conjunction with a retailer-specific app in order to push certain notifications to consumers when they are in proximity to the beacon — for example, a special offer for a product in the aisle in which they are browsing.
  • From marketers’ perspective, navigating these requirements poses a unique dilemma: how can they create content compelling enough to convince the consumer to stay committed through the opt-in process to share their data?
  • These reports and guidelines highlight the need for consumers to be informed of any data or tracking that they may not expect — for example, interaction with a broad-spectrum beacon that reaches beyond the confines of an affirmatively-downloaded retailer app.
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    This article helped me gain a better undestanding of proximity marketing and beacons. Beacons emit radio signals to connect with nearby consumers' mobile devices. This article discusses some of the pros and cons to proximity marketing in order to best engage consumers. Proximity marketing is a fairly new concept that is beginning to skyrocket.
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    I found the information about the legal requirements very interesting. If a notification pops up on my phone to ask if I would like to share information, like location, I almost never do.
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    Modern society is an era of big data. There are indeed many benefits to using proximity marketing. But pay attention to avoid excessive spam, so as not to cause customer dislike.
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    This article talks about the benefits of proximity marketing and why it is the new wave in which companies should get engaged and begin finding ways to utilize this kind of marketing amongst their consumers. The collected data is priceless information for a company to gather about its ideal customers and how to engage them. However, the downsides the article brings up are the legalities around opt-in and the opportunity to allow consumers to opt-out with ease, and the pressures to get the marketing continuously. That is a compliance issue that companies should stay clear and consider. Also, it the importance to build security features to care for this data and information being shared online.
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Data privacy matters in the hotel industry - Insights - 0 views

  • Data privacy matters in the hotel industryDr Michael Toedt Posted on 3 March 2022
  • Data privacy matters – period. As companies (including hotel chains) collect more and more personal data from consumers for marketing and research purposes, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with data privacy and data protection. They want control over their data and they want to know exactly how it will be used. With legislative changes giving consumers more rights over their personal information, hoteliers need to both know the law and understand why data privacy is so important to hotel guests.
  • Good data privacy builds trust and loyalty
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  • “Commitment to data protection” drives brand loyalty for 31% of consumers, a figure that increases to 40% for “Trustworthiness”[1].This backs up the findings from a 2018 survey by Salesforce, which found that consumers are more likely to stay loyal to a company, spend more money and recommend its services if they felt they could trust the organization with their data
  • Data breaches cause serious financial and reputational losses
  • Every type of organization could suffer a data breach if adequate data protection controls and systems aren’t in place.
  • Hotels concerned about their ability to adequately protect guests’ personal data should take immediate steps to address this. A common problem is the existence of multiple guest profiles across different platforms within the hotel tech stack, such as the PMS, CRM, RMS, POS, website, etc. Where these are not fully integrated, data has to be updated manually, which carries significant risks.
  • Key legislation explained
  • There are strict rules around how data can be obtained, stored, managed, and used.
  • Achieving data privacy compliance
  • large amount of valuable data held by hotel groups makes them a prime target for hackers and cyber thieves.
  • From compliance and reputational viewpoint, these functionalities are truly invaluable to hoteliers. However, IT can only do so much. Other key considerations for hoteliers include creating robust data privacy policies, providing clear guest communications, and training staff on data privacy processes. Taking a 360-degree approach is the best way for hotels to protect themselves and their guests from data breaches and the associated risks.
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    This article by Michael Toedt on "Data privacy matters in the hotel industry" speaks on the approaches that can be taken to protect guests' data and their privacy since these practices increase guests' trust and loyalty to companies. Accordingly, it is vital for hotels to securely store guests' information. Thankfully, CDM systems make it much simpler for hotel staff to manage data-related requests from clients, such as updating personal details. They also enable one-click deletions, preventing data disputes.
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Ransomware attack on chip supplier causes delays for semiconductor groups | Financial T... - 0 views

  • Disruption from a ransomware attack on a little-known supplier to the world’s largest semiconductor equipment manufacturers will continue into March, in a new setback to chip production after years of coronavirus-related delays.
  • first identified on February 3,
  • MKS’s customers include many of the largest companies that produce semiconductors and the specialised equipment necessary to manufacture them, including TSMC, Intel, Samsung and ASML.
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  • The company had revealed on Monday that it could still take “weeks” more to restore operations and would cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost or delayed sales. Most ransomware victims are able to recover in about three weeks, according to industry estimates.
  • The attack affected “production-related systems
  • , the company has now told the US stock market regulator that it is unable to file its annual report on time
  • the final impact on quarterly sales could total as much as $500mn — more than half what Wall Street had previously predicted
  • The semiconductor supply chain, which in many places relies on components made by only one provider, has faced repeated shortages over the past two to three years due to production and logistics delays.
  • However, demand for smartphones and other consumer electronics has waned in recent months as coronavirus lockdowns eased and consumer spending has been squeezed by inflation.
  • , it is unclear if MKS will be encouraged by US law enforcement to resolve the issue by paying a ransom.
  • Shares in MKS fell by about 15 per cent between February 3,
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    The article "Ransomware attack on chip supplier causes delays for semiconductor groups," discusses the affects on a company due to a cyberattack that occurred February 3rd. The company is believed to have setbacks into March and that it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost or delayed sales. The company also believes they will be unable to file its annual report on time and possibly have to resolve the issue by paying a ransom. This also cost a 15% decrease of shares for the Company.
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Chili's Has Installed More Than 45,000 Tablets in Its Restaurants - The Atlantic - 0 views

  • Have you ever felt that, for making these decisions, your server was sort of judging you? 
  • wants to remove any friction that might separate you from your whims
  • without the pesky interference of a human.
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  • That doesn't necessarily herald the end of human-centered food service
  •  The Chili's version of the Ziosk menus is programmed to have images of dessert (a molten chocolate cake, say) pop up while customers are still eating their main courses. This has led, Chili's says, to a 20-percent increase in dessert sales. (Ziosk claims a 30-percent dessert-sale bump for its clients overall.)
  • de-humanizing the restaurant is, it turns out, good busines
  • active attempt to minimize the interaction Chili's customers have with human
  • That's in part because the tablets set defaults for tip amounts. The machines automatically suggest a tip of 20 percent
  • Chili's recently made a big change to its in-store ordering system. The chain partnered with Ziosk, the restaurant-targeted tablet-maker, to develop a series of tabletop devices that allow customers to order their meals
  • The tablets let your order your meal—and pay for it—through a screen, as you would with online ordering.
  • Chili's still requires people, of course, to do the actual delivery of the food customers order. There are still servers doing the serving at Chili's.
  • Ziosk claims to have found a 20-percent increase in appetizer sales, as compared with standard, server-based ordering strategies.
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    I love this article because it presents such a positive view of the unattended POS system in a restaurant setting. It poses human interaction as a nuisance which prevents customers from ordering more food. The way that it is explained is that the device will not judge someone for asking for too much or customizing their order too much, so customers feel more powerful in ordering exactly what they want. The article also provides several statistics showing how Chili's has increased their appetizer and dessert sales by using these tablets. The advertisements that are displayed on the machines lure customers into ordering more of these items.
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    It's really a definite one. It implied so much about reality. This is very factual, but there's still in need of traditional human interaction. It is a great marketing strategy and they can upsell their product and show what they offer which most customers will give it a try out of curiosity. Looks can be deceiving but yet it is in human mentality to try.
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    Chili's has installed 45,000 tablets across 823 Chili's restaurants. These tablets let you order your meal, drinks, refills, etc and lets you pay our bill at the end. Chili says the presence of the tablet increases the size of the average check.
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What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? 2022 Guide for Hotels - 3 views

  • What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)? 2020 Guide for Hotels
  • The History of the GDS
  • a GDS functions as a middleman between a travel agent and a hotel’s (or airline’s) central reservation system. Travel agents can see real-time rates and inventory for a given hotel via the GDS, though the GDS doesn’t actually hold its own inventory.
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  • What are the Most Popular Global Distribution Systems?
  • Besides the time savings, the GDS allows travel agents to tap into reservation systems for a world of travel providers.
  • Did you know you could book a flight, tour operator, car rental or hotel room in real-time via electronic GDS systems since the 1960s? You may be thinking, “hmm… online travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com aren’t that old, are they?” But years before the OTAs gained prominence, global distribution systems provided real-time access to hotel and flight inventory for travel agent service providers across the world. 
  • Does the GDS still serve a purpose when travelers can easily book directly with the airline or hotel? In many cases, yes, the GDS still delivers value, especially for airlines and corporate travel companies. Airlines still distribute their inventory to OTAs via the GDS, and corporate travel planners continue to use the GDS to find corporate rates.
  • The GDS industry has come a long way since the 60s; while Sabre is still a major player, several GDS companies operate today. The major global distribution systems for travel reservations include: Amadeus is the world’s largest GDS, accounting for about 40% of GDS transactions, and it’s especially popular in Europe. Though many of these reservations are for airfare, it’s still a powerful tool for hotels, with over 600,000 hotels connected. Sabre is the second-largest GDS, accounting for about 35% of travel agency bookings. Around 175,000 hotels are connected to Sabre, but its portfolio in North America is larger than its competitors. Travelport GDS  owns systems called Galileo, Worldspan, and Apollo. Travelsky is a state-run GDS in China.
  • With decades of history and an enormous user base of travel agents, using the GDS can be a great way to expand your hotel’s marketing and distribution strategy. But the GDS doesn’t necessarily provide value to every hotel; if you’re wondering how to use the GDS or why to add it as a distribution channel, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons for your individual hotel.
  • For hotels, airlines, and the like, the GDS offers massive marketing power.
  • No one GDS can be called the “best” travel service provider, since they all provide similar functionality and have their own unique differences.
  • travel comp
  • American Airlines was the first company, in partnership with IBM, to implement an electronic reservation system for their reservations agents to use. This new technology, called the Semi-Automated Business Research Environment (SABRE), allowed American Airlines to greatly expand their reservations team beyond the number of people who could huddle around the paper booking files.
  • No one GDS can be called the “best” travel service provider, since they all provide similar functionality and have their own unique differences.
  • Today you can book not only airfare and hotels via the GDS, but also rental cars, cruises, rail tickets, and tours.
  • hotels would need to undertake huge marketing efforts in order to be seen by travel agents. The GDS effectively democratized this process, with chain hotels getting the same visibility on the GDS as independent hotels.
  • In 2006 the volume of internet reservations exceeded GDS reservations for the first time,
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    This arctic is about what is a global Distribution System, history of the GDS, how does a GDS work and what benefits GDS offer.
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    A brief history of the GDS gives us a glimpse of the important this technology which as been around for over 50 yrs. Although it has evolved, the consumer has evolved with it but the basic idea still prevail and still very much in use.
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    This article gives a complete description of what the GDS is and its history. It goes over how the GDS works, the benefits of using it, and whether the GDS has a role in the future of global distribution.
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    A GDS or Global distribution system can come in handy for many different purposes. Some of these companies such as Expedia and Travelocity are know ones in the United States. It is important to weight pros and cons when deciding who to book with when choosing a hotel or an airlines especially since there are so many options. Depending on how you book especially when bundling with a GDS you could get a great deal.
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    This article evaluates the past and current roles of GDS in the travel and tourism industry. It is clear that the GDS has adapted and changed with the times and now is able to do even more than at its initial conception. However, as the article pointed out the all the functions of the GDS it is clear that OTA's ad websites are also able to provide a lot of these same functions. We discussed this week whether the GDS system is still currently a relevant system and most agreed that it is. However, as we look to the future it will be interesting to see what evolutions the GDS has yet to go through and how it will attempt to remain relevant in the ever changing tourism market.
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Advantages Of Cloud Computing For Hotel Industry - Hotelogix - 0 views

  • businesses don’t have to burden themselves by storing data in traditional in-house servers
  • they can opt for a cloud service that would store their data in secured data centres.
  • Not only the big hotel chains but today, even independent and small hotels have strong management tools within their reach. There are several benefits of using the cloud and they have helped several hotels across the world to strengthen up their business — from increasing operational efficiency to lowering the management costs.
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  • cloud-based services are now replacing the old and traditional systems at all levels. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Software as a service (SaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS) have all become the first choice of cloud computing services for many hospitality businesses. And they are all charged up with the amazing benefits of cloud computing.
  • By making use of cloud computing, as a hotelier, you pay only for what you demand. It specifies that your upfront costs are kept low as you are only paying for the computing power and cloud storage which your hotel actually needs.
  • Hoteliers Can Cut Huge Business Costs With Cloud Computing
  • it is the first and foremost thing which you should implement in your hotel business. Why? Because it will help you to bring the cost down by a significant percentage.
  • some of the major benefits of cloud computing in the hospitality industry
  • Cloud computing in the hospitality industry also shortens the project time resulting in costs cutting and higher productivity
  • cloud computing can benefit hoteliers by bringing down costs like energy, hardware and operations.
  • In the hospitality industry, Cloud Computing is a mixture of PaaS, SaaS and IaaS. It operates on the model of Use, Builds, and Migrate.
  • Cloud Computing Leads To Improved & Enhanced Guest Experiences
  • The two main purposes of an efficient and effective hotel PMS are: offer the hotel staff the best set of management tools assist you to ensure the top-notch guest experience
  • An added advantage of cloud computing is that it frees your staff from their otherwise fixed terminals and lets them work independently and even more efficiently. Being on the cloud also means that hotel check-ins can be done from smartphones or tablets and not only through the hotel front desk. That’s not all, other benefits of moving to the cloud include increased in the speed at which the guests access the products and services, thus only creating seamless hotel experiences for them.
  • Direct Bookings Are Made Easy With Cloud Computing
  • Hotels can upgrade their hotel website with cloud-powered services such as web booking engine that can be integrated to the hotel PMS. Also, one of the major benefits is the real-time update — it makes the process much smoother and cheaper, and saves a lot of time. Now, hoteliers can focus more on the aspects that would better guest experience and increase the revenue of the property.
  • Cloud Computing In Hospitality Industry Makes Working Remotely Possible
  • when you put your hotel process and management on the cloud, it provides you with the flexibility to access it and work on it from any part of the world — all you need is a steady internet connection and a smart device (a laptop, or a computer, or mobile phone or tablet.)
  • Outlook
  • When it comes to the benefits of cloud computing in the hospitality industry, the list includes enhanced guest experiences, massive reduction in costs, faster services and their seamless access, software and service security, and more flexibility.
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    This article talks about some of the advantages that cloud computing offers hotels and their guests. Cloud computing saves money for hotels. Is easier, more efficient, and more cost effective.
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WiFi Proximity Marketing: Strategies and how they work | Purple - 3 views

  • time comm
  • QR (Quick Response) codesWiFi (Wireless Fidelity)NFC (Near Field Communication)RFID (Radio-frequency identification)GeofencingBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons
  • Besides the end-users mobile device, a collection of location-based technologies (LBS) is needed to successfully utilize proximity marketing.
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  • The downside to using the QR code strategy is getting users to make the initial interaction and additional print material may be necessary. 
  • Businesses can utilize their free WiFi offering as a new channel for marketing directly to customers.
  • NFC tag uses don’t stop at the point of sale system, in fact, the knowledge gained from each purchase and interaction further improves the insights businesses have, meaning over time, customer segmentation and messaging become more focussed.
  • The definition of geofencing in proximity marketing is defined as the ability of a company to micro-target people based on the places they go.
  • For example, a sportswear brand may want to target those at a sports event and so will draw their geometric radius around the venue of the event. Patrons that attend with their devices ‘location-enabled sensors’ settings turned on are allowing their GPS to share their location data with their service provider (SP).
  • The convenience store chain attached BLE beacons to trolleys, and baskets to track customer movements when entering, leaving, and moving around its stores. With the movable and planted roof beacons in place, Nisa was able to accurately collect a large pool of geometric insights that fed into one central cloud for further analysis. From these gatherings, Nisa will have been able to understand customer dwell times and see which product aisles were most popular.
  • Geo-loyalty is a method of utilizing proximity marketing methods to boost customer loyalty and drive app usage for higher conversion and engagement rates.
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    This article is about Proximity Marketing and the many different specific ways it may be applied. These applications include: QR Codes, WiFi, NFC, RFID, Geofencing, and BLE Beacons. In all of these cases, it is vital to proximity marketing that there be an end-user mobile device (such as an iPhone or Android) as well as location-based technologies. We are all fairly familiar with QR codes as those have become widely used during the pandemic. What we may not have considered though, is how logging into a WiFi gives a lot of information about you to the business, as well as a future means of communicating with you (assuming you made an account and/or gave them important information such as an email address). Geofencing is also really cool because it allows companies to set up a virtual boundary that collects data from mobile devices that pass through that boundary. This allows a business to truly know what kinds of consumers go in and out of whatever establishment the geofence outlines.
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