Ever since iBeacon launched, the gap between the online and the offline world has been closing. The release of Physical Web eliminated the need for a dedicated, app and lowered the barrier of entering the world of microlocation context even further. Today, Estimote is taking the next step in the contextual computing evolution by launching physical world-to-phone messaging technology that allows to you send hyper-contextual messages.
With Here & Now, you can craft messages and links that will be delivered to people in physical locations via a network of Physical Web beacons, based on exact location and timing. No longer is there a need for a dedicated app or programming skills. You control the whole experience from a web panel or through an API! The messages are unobtrusively shown on the notification panel and lets users instantly evaluate their relevance, and receive more information on a linked website.
We are now looking for beta testers for this technology, if you think you are a good match, let us know at business@estimote.com
Here & Now also lets you understand how people engage with the messages you deliver. Foot traffic estimates, message impression counts, click-thru rates, and A/B testing are all at your disposal and allow for crafting more engaging messages.
Use Cases
Estimote mission is to make contextual computing ubiquitous, so Here & Now and the Physical Web are natural components of this mission. Here & Now is particularly well suited to contextually messaging people around when the message can and will often change and when engagement data can help deliver better service. It works best in cases where delivering the information easily is more important than tightly controlling the user experience.
For example, your favorite restaurant can now message you Today’s Special when you’re around, and Here & Now takes the hassle out of crafting the message. You don’t need to have an app installed, so all the friction related to finding a dedicated app and waiting for it to download is removed. Or, you walk into a theater and immediately learn what movie is showing next. On top of that, you can check the latest trailer with a touch of a button. And while riding a bus, you may get information about the next stop and what’s around.
Distribution
Here & Now is built on top of Physical Web, the open standard backed by Google, which is built into Android and supported in Chrome for iOS. It’s expected to be integrated into other mobile web browsers soon. With 2 billion smartphones out there, it is a standard with unprecedented distribution potential.
With such great power comes great responsibility, especially with regard to user privacy. We’ve got you fully covered, as user opt-in is required and no personal information is ever sent to Estimote or third parties.
I’m interested!
Here & Now is currently in private beta, if you are interested in deploying this technology feel free to contact us at business@estimote.com
Bartek Bałaziński, Product Manager at Estimote