Tired of only seeing adverts 99 percent of the time? While Apple’s already announced intentions to take over the final one percent with iBeacon, Samsung’s just today getting in on the action. The Korean electronics giant has a website introducing Samsung “Proximity,” a “mobile marketing platform that connects consumers with places via cutting-edge Samsung location and context-aware technology.” As nakedly awful as that sounds, the “marketing platform” described sounds a lot like Apple’s iBeacon.
Samsung has added another arrow in its Internet of Things quiver: technology that appears to be its answer to Apple’s own location-based marketing efforts. Samsung has launched a new website detailing its ambitions to enter the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) location-based marketing sphere, in a move that shows Apple’s iBeacon business isn’t the only game in town. Called Samsung Proximity, the mobile marketing platform “connects consumers with places via Samsung’s location and context aware technology”, which consists of third-party beacons that interact with the Samsung Proximity Service app. In addition, it offers marketers a web console for that includes elements such as location and campaign management and analytics. Samsung hopes the technology will be installed in stores, restaurants, shopping malls, airports, stadiums, and museums, with the idea that they will be able to offer special deals, coupons, pre-order and pick-up services as well as floor plans and mobile tours.