Mobile Marketing and LoT (Location of Things) - The Right Combination

Without a doubt, information technology such as computers and internet make people live and interact differently. However, the recent upsurge of LoT - Location of Things application, promises to propel marketing and increase economic growth for businesses in an entirely different way. Specifically, if businesses employ the technology of LoT, businesses and customers can interact as never before and create win-win situations for everyone. 

First, businesses can view past histories and see where customers are shopping. Collecting and analyzing information about past purchases, spending habits, favorite items, and browsing helps businesses recommend particular items or sales. And, rather than provide this information to all customers, businesses can target specific individuals and brands.

Secondly, LoT can potentially help provide the ultimate shopping experience for customers. When opting in to location monitoring, retailers can track movements in stores and notify customers of immediate deals in the department where they are shopping.

Thirdly, LoT allows in-store customers to gain access to cashless payments. Paying by mobile technology means avoiding lines and sales clerks. Offering this convenience allows retailers to reduce the friction and inconvenience that sometimes comes from shopping in-store, and hopefully, increase customer loyalty. Research numbers indicate a continual rise in the number of people using cashless checkout. Currently, the number of payments made by mobile devices in the United States is around 52 billion. Predictions indicate the number will increase to 142 billion by 2019.

Lastly, mobile marketing with LoT translates to different methods for advertising. Offering loyalty programs and special incentives brings customers back for more. In addition, applications provide side by side comparisons of items and the prices competitors offer.

LoT has the potential to take customer and business relationships to a higher level of success. A way to learn more is with Netclearance. The top leader in the world of mobile technology, Netclearance specializes in mobile software and hardware, mobile marketing readiness, real-time tracking, customer interaction, and mobile marketing management - all through LoT.

LoT - Location of Things - Making Sense of IoT Data

The world is awash in smart devices.  So much so that at times, these devices seem to dominate every aspect of life.  The city of Augsburg in Germany has gone so far as to embed traffic lights in the pavement, because "Pedestrians were so busy looking at their smartphones that they were ignoring traffic lights," according to an article by Rick Noack dated April 25, 2016 in washingtonpost.com titled "This city embedded traffic lights in the sidewalks so smartphone users don't have to look up."

Smartphones, smart engines, smart aircraft, smart cars, smart UPS delivery trucks, smart gas meters, smart Johnny Walker Blue Label whiskey labels, smart trash collection equipment, and smart cow locating/monitoring equipment...these are just some of the examples of the IoT as reported by Christina Mercer in the April 2016 issue of computerworldUK.com.   It's safe to say that the IoT is just getting started; the list of applications and devices and smart technology of all forms will only continue to grow.  She goes on to say, "Reports suggest there will be 25 billion internet-connected things by 2020..."

Behold the next major wave of development to follow the IoT:  It is called LoT -- Location of Things:  "When a concept is as far-reaching as the Internet of Things (IoT) — involving literally billions of elements — we need principles for organizing and making sense of the data it communicates.  That’s where an emerging IoT subcategory known the “location of things” comes into play. Location is a vital dimension of the IoT concept that encompasses the ability of “things” to sense and communicate their geographic position," from a blog by Christian Lundquist published on April 26, 2016 in internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com.

Of course we are familiar with GPS technology and search engines such as MapQuest, Bing, Google, etc., that help immensely with zeroing in on out-of-doors locations.  However, "Lots of our devices and sensors — along with other assets, people and content — are inside buildings, where GPS has no real reach. That’s where indoor positioning systems (IPS) are creating the next big buzz within the location of things. As IPS technology continues to be enhanced and as more apps that harness its power become available, we’ll see a slew of new data becoming part of the location of things," from the same article quoted above.  

For the business decision maker it quickly becomes apparent that such technology affords tremendous advantages.  If let's say you are warehousing and distributing large stores of Johnny Walker Blue Label whiskey, a smart label on each bottle might be very helpful in certain circumstances.  Same thing for very expensive equipment and tools -- if you happen to be in charge of a big factory or machine shop or warehouse, wouldn't you want to, for example:

-Understand where your high value assets are located at all times.

-Know where your vehicles are, all over the plant.

-Help keep your operating costs down with insight into how to improve logistics management and operating processes.

-Keep track of the 10,000 pallets you just shipped and to your factory's distribution center.

--From the NC_brochure_logistics_091815, downloaded from netclearance.com/industries.

Manage your assets and improve your logistics with superior insight -- using technology from Netclearance, at the cutting edge of the LoT - Location of Things.

Please contact us for more information about real-time tracking of high value assets and inventory, and about business intelligence, mobile customer engagement, and other workplace management solutions .  Thank you. 

LoT - Location of Things - Where is that box?

 The Location of Things or LoT can tell you where things are in real time using active RFID tags or labels.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a sensor technology based on smart tags, which are attached to different items. The microchip in the tag stores a small amount of data and comes with a small radio frequency transceiver that transmit the data at predetermined intervals. 

RFID labels contain more information than a barcode label. An RFID label will tell you not only that the item is a green tee shirt, but which green tee shirt.

For example, if you order a gross of tees in various colors and styles, with RFID labels you can follow those tees from manufacture to arrival in your store. Once the tee shirt has been manufactured and packaged, the package is labeled with an active RFID tag containing the information about its content - smart packaging. 

You have been able to follow the green tee shirt from the moment of manufacture to its arrival in your store via the RFID label. Now the RFID label goes to work for you.

On arrival, without even being taken out of the box, the package is automatically scanned into inventory, saving you employee hours. You know where in the stock room the tee has been stored, when the tee is moved to the sales floor, and you know where the tee is on the sales floor. More importantly, you know how long it takes that tee to sell. Using RFID labels, you know which colors and sizes are the best sellers. You know when and what to reorder. All this can be done remotely at a touch of a button.

With active RFID tags from Netclearance, a manufacturer can simply put an active tag in a box of shirts. Upon arrival the Netclearance active reader can quickly scan and receive the signals from the active tags saving precious time and costs by not having to scan each shirt individually and by installing an expensive array of passive RFID readers and antennas to capture individual tags.

LoT and ultra low power active RFID labels will help streamline your business and help increase sales. Netclearance can assist you with this amazing technology.

Using LoT - Location of Things to Improve Business Practices

A lot of buzz has lately been generated about LoT - Location of Things, or the function of geography within the Internet of Things (IoT). Corporations and organizations can improve their business practices by using LoT technology within their existing systems.

A few examples of how we can optimize your current business practices more efficiently with Location of Things:

• An employee walks into the building and forgets to clock in - our systems allow you to track these employees as soon as they enter the building using a smart badge.
• Your warehouse supervisor struggles to keep up with the maintenance needs of your large-scale facility - our resources create immediate, real-time tracking of maintenance requirements and allow you to track humidity, light, and temperature where you store your assets.
• Shipment supervisor needs to share stats and shipment details with multiple staff members - cut out one extra step and one more string of unnecessary emails with automated tracking across multiple users.
• Need to streamline payments - our mobile payments based on active RFID technology streamlines your customer experience.
• You want your guests to know about the new amenities offered at your hotel- use our systems for on-site engagement of guests in the hospitality industry.

Netclearance Systems, Inc. is the leading provider of cloud-based tracking and analytics solutions. We offer state-of-the-art active wireless sensor technology and software to drive real-time customer and workplace insight for optimized decisions and increased margins, using IoT and LoT to enhance your organization.

Please contact Netclearance for information on LoT technology and how it can change your world. Visit us at RFID Journal Live in Orlando, Florida, May 3-5 Booth #728B

Netclearance at RFID Journal Live 2016 - Orlando, Florida

From May 3-5, we will be attending the annual RFID Journal Live in Orlando, Florida at the Orange Convention Center. The event is a great place for businesses from all areas of the industry to come and learn about all the latest tech and services that can help them to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve the customer experience. It is the ideal place to keep up to date with all the latest solutions, tools and tactics in the area of asset tracking, IoT and RFID. Visit us in booth # 728B to see our updated lineup of products and solutions.

Smart Badge to Power Workforce IoT Applications

Netclearance, a maker of multi-sensor beacons and software designed for a range of business applications, such as optimizing workflows and tracking assets, has introduced a new product called the mBeaconCard. Approximately the size of a credit card, the mBeaconCard contains a Near Field Communication (NFC) module, as well as a Bluetooth radio. It can be used not just as an identity card or badge, but also to enable workers to make purchases using its NFC module, as well as to track the locations of employees on job premises, by utilizing the card's Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio. Alternatively, the card could also be mounted to high-value mobile assets and be used to track their indoor locations.

The basic mBeaconCard configuration contains a microprocessor, a BLE radio and an NFCmodule. But customers can also order a version that comes with an embeddedaccelerometer, a vibration sensor and a magnetic sensor—either a compass or a reed switch—in order to support a wider range of applications, such as those requiring movement to trigger tracking.

The BLE radio is used to transmit sensor data or information written to the mBeaconCard's 2 kilobytes of memory, explains David Fernandez, Netclearance's founder and CEO. It transmits data packets to mBeaconGW, Netclearance's beacon gateway appliance, or to nearby smartphones running the Netclearance mobile application.

Netclearance's mCloud Content Management System software is used to collect and manage the data transmitted by the badge, and from there it can be sent to Netclearance's business application or analytics software. Conversely, the data can be forwarded to third-party applications or analytics platforms via an application programming interface. Using the mBeaconGW gateway and an external NFC reader, employers can set up an access-control system. If the badge is being used for room-level tracking, Fernandez says, location can be determined to within a few meters.

Pricing information has not yet been released, but Netclearance will demonstrate the mBeaconCard and its full product portfolio at the RFID Journal LIVE! 2016 conference and exhibition, taking place on May 3-5, in Orlando, Fla., in the Internet of Things Pavilion (booth #728B).

Original article from IoT Journal: http://www.iotjournal.com/articles/view?14379

LoT - Location of Things Technology Aids in Hospital Patient Care.

The face of medical treatment is changing and LoT - Location of Things is at the heart of it.

A quick explanation: The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to things connected to the internet, laptops, I-pads, cell phones, vehicles, people, even appliances. The location of things, or LoT tells you where those things are in real time.

In a hospital setting this will have many applications. Hospitals will know the location of specialized equipment, hospital beds and wheelchairs. Medications can also be tracked. An inventory of the supplies that keep a hospital running will always be available. More importantly, hospitals will know the location of doctors, nurses, other staff, patients, and visitors.

Active RFID tagging is an ID system that uses small radio frequency identification devices for identification and tracking purposes. They are capable of receiving, storing and transmitting digital information. 

A patient bracelet or badge with an active RFID tag, will not only give the location of a patient, but all the information on medications and treatments. At birth a baby might wear a bracelet with an RFID tag. All the information about the child will be on the tag. With LoT the location of the baby is always known.

A medic alert bracelet with an RFID tag, will let a doctor know the minute that a person wearing a medic alert enters the hospital. RFID tags will also alert the attendant or EMS when the patient is in, or near, a properly equipped ambulance, possibly leading the ambulance to the correct location after a 911 call.

IoT and LoT are changing not only medical treatment, but the world. Please contact Netclearance for information on LoT technology and how it can change your world. Visit us at RFID Journal Live in Orlando, Fl, May 3-5 Booth #728B

LoT - Location of Things - Pinning Down The Internet Of Things

Knowing the location of things (LOT) completes the picture for enterprises that exploit the world of the Internet of things (IOT) as part of their business processes. Combining IoT and LoT gives the fine-grained insights that only coalesce as the big picture on the larger scale. When you have a geospatial understanding of your connected devices, it adds the final piece of the puzzle of your operations.

Where Are Your Connected Devices?

The Internet of things connects remote digital devices that share sensor data and sometimes offer automation features. The IoT ties everything together via the Internet to gain valuable business intelligence from all of the data transmitted by the device.

Geo-location information systems are Big Data applications that deliver floods of valuable business intelligence. LoT is the technology that makes this possible businesses of all sizes. Adding a smart beacon tracker to each connected device puts it into an information matrix from which you can find patterns by applying visual analytics.

Necessary And Sufficient Data Integration

The IoT provides necessary solutions for enterprises with dispersed assets, but that is not enough to give you accurate real-time intelligence by itself. Users need to know about the state of devices, the sensor measurements that they provide and the locations from which they report. By tracking these three factors in real-time companies can apply the kind of Big Data analytics that delivers true insight and reveals hidden opportunities.

Fine-Grain Data And The Value Of Big-Picture Patterns

Companies competing in industry segments that use the IoT will get improved business intelligence from LoT applications. Many segments are now using Big Data to make smarter decisions and creating competitive advantages.

In diverse fields such as agriculture and supply chain management, the ability to use fine-grain geospatial information is revolutionizing the way that businesses draw conclusions from data and make decisions. Real-time tracking and location solutions for logistics, healthcare, workforce-management are paving the road for a smart IoT infrastructure.

Netclearance Solutions Complete The Picture

Netclearance puts this capability into the hands of the enterprise. The location tagging technology that put your assets on the map will give you levels of understanding and abilities to forecast future trends that have never been possible for you before. Visit us at RFID Journal Live in Orlando, Fl, May 3-5 Booth #728B to see the latest trends and solutions in LoT.

The Value of LoT - Location of Things Technology in Retail

Retailers today are looking for effective ways to streamline operations and increase revenue per square footage. By using state-of-the-art wireless sensor technology are able:

• To see which products and locations in your store are most popular?
• To know which marketing displays are most effective?
• To learn how long customers typically wait in line at different times of day?
• To have your customers pay quickly and easily?
• To know if enough employees are available to help customers?
• To know when your employees arrive, where they are in the store, and when they leave?

For retailers this sounds like a dream come true, but with LoT - Location of Things it can be reality. LoT combines location with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices such as smartphones, smart badges, shelf sensors, merchandise sensors.

LoT allows retail businesses to track and communicate with customers, then accept payment for merchandise from a mobile wallet. With LoT you also know how often a customer shops at your store. If you have a customer loyalty program, you will no longer need to stamp or scan cards. If you have a tourist based business, you will be able to see if your customers are from out of town.

LoT can tell you when an employee enters and leaves your business, no more punching a time clock. You know if your employee is on the sales floor, at the cash register, or in the stock room.

Using active and passive RFID technology you can track sales and inventory. Not only you will know if an item is in stock, but where that item is in your store. You can easily keep track of when sales happen, which employees really sell products.

Best of all, now retailers can do all this, and even more, remotely. LoT - Location of Things, will take retail business operations to a new level and Netclearance can help you get there. Contact us to learn how LoT solutions can be applied to your retail operations.

Visit us at RFID Live on May 3 - 5, 2016 Booth 728B  Orange County Convention Center in
Orlando, Florida and discover what LoT can mean for your business.

LoT - Location of Things the Real Value Behind IoT

The world of technology is, at its most basic level, a human-driven phenomena. As such, it’s subject to all the psychological foibles of our species. One of these is known colloquially as the “wow factor.” It refers to how those who first hear of a new advancement become excited at its sheer ingenuity and novelty. Their initial reaction is, “wow; that’s cool!” It’s only after the excitement fades that someone says, “Hey, what good is this thing anyway?”

The “wow factor” has played a major role in the public’s perception of the soon-coming Internet of Things or IoT. There’s something about the idea of a world made up of objects all linked together that resonates with people on a primal level. Perhaps the concept appeals to our innate sense of oneness with all creation. Perhaps not. Either way, the prospect of an interconnected society has some people saying, “Great! Now what do we do with it?” That’s where LoT - Location of Things comes into the picture.

LoT refers to the ability to locate and monitor all types of things in real time. The advantages of this capability are immense. Take for example networks. Whether they're used to transfer information, energy, goods, or human beings, networks are essential to modern life. When they break down, the consequences can range from minor inconvenience to life-threatening emergencies.

This is where LoT proves so useful. It enables personnel to monitor all types of networks of things for signs of trouble. In the event something goes wrong, it guides them to the exact point of failure. It can even give them vital information about the nature of the breakdown, speeding repairs and minimizing problems.

Needless to say, this technology has enormous potential for making the world a safer, more secure place in which to live. At Netclearance, we have developed pioneering LoT capabilities that can benefit your organization in multiple ways. Contact us today to find out more.

Visit us at RFID Live on May 3 - 5, 2016 Booth 728B  Orange County Convention Center in
Orlando, Florida (www.rfidbeacons.com)

Understanding LoT - Location of Things - The Killer IoT App

There is currently much hype surrounding IoT, or the Internet of Things. IoT refers to the integration of internet-based technology into every-day items, such as wristwatches and other jewelry, key chains, home appliances, pets and almost anything. A less popular buzzword, but one that is essential for understanding how IoT adds value to an organization, is LOT -- the Location of Things.

Location of Things technology spans the area of identifying where IoT devices are located in relation to their origins, destinations or other adjacent devices. What is the value of sensors capturing identity, environmental data, and status among other things if the consumer of this data doesn't have the contextual location information to give this data some meaning.

By adding "context" to the billions of location-aware sensors and devices that will be part of the IoT ecosystem it will open up unlimited  opportunities to enhance customers’ experience, improve service quality, margins and reduce operational expenses across a wide range of industry verticals and the public sector. 

There are several enablers to LoT such as:

• LPWA (Low-Power Wide-Area) networks that allow a mass market for low-cost long-range low-power connected network of objects. Analysts forecast that there will be 2.7 billion LPWA connections by 2022. 
• Indoor positioning thanks to proximity context-aware devices like Wi-Fi, UWB, Mesh and BLE-beacons.

So get ready for a much wider usage of the term LoT. In the near future, Location of Things will help bring "context" to the "who" and "what" provided by the billions of IoT nodes and sensors that will populate our planet over the next decades to come.

Netclearance has been developing LoT technology and solutions since its inception for a multitude of industrial and consumer applications with the goal to add value to your IoT applications. Contact us to learn more about our IoT location gateways, readers and sensor nodes that can bring "context" to your IoT atmosphere.

Visit us at RFID Live on May 3 - 5, 2016 Booth 728B  Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida (www.rfidbeacons.com)

IoT Payments Solutions Overcome Traditional Card Terminal Boundaries

IoT payments are the wave of the future when it comes to exchanging currency. According to LetsTalkPayments.com, new apps, operating systems, and hardware are being developed to accommodate this trend: "Internet of Things is attractive for fintech, not only for software and hardware developers, but also for banks and other FinTech companies to enable innovative payment experiences and provide wide range of methods to accept payments using NFC chips, payment apps, sensors, tracking devices, etc."

Indeed, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and other credit card and banking companies are all jumping on the bandwagon, racing to implement Internet of Things payment services. In particular, they are targeting wearable and carry-able devices, such as watches and key chains, thus appealing to costumers' senses of fashion and sleek design. For example, an October, 2015, article in Mobile Payments Today states that "MasterCard announced at the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas that its initial partners in this endeavor include fashion designer Adam Selman, automotive giant General Motors, wearable technology company Nymi, smart jewelry company Ringly and Bluetooth locator TrackR."

Beyond fashion, safety and security are key benefits of the new technology. According to an August, 2015, blog on Transfirst.com, "In the payment space, the Internet of Things is evident in digital wallets that securely store a user’s payment information and passwords, enabling consumers to use an electronic device to make transactions." Such devices will keep passwords secure while their owners carry their "digital wallets" on their wrists and in their purses and briefcases.

So get ready to join the wave of the future with IoT payments. You will join a growing number of businesses accepting payments from wearables, garments, motor vehicles, and mobile devices.

Netclearance offers a complete portfolio of IoT gateways and end devices to implement your IoT payment strategy. Contact us to learn more.

Banks' Uber Moment Leads Financial Institutions to New Financial Technology

A look back at history reveals numerous instances in which technology disrupts an industry. A century ago, the automobile displaced horses. A more modern example that also involves the automobile is Uber. Compared to traditional taxi cabs, Uber’s ride-hailing app offers consumers a way to get around a city that’s lower cost and more convenient to pay.

Cost and convenience are also driving changes in finance that some technology observers describe as banks' Uber moment. Technology is disrupting how people manage their money. Transactions that once required face to face interaction were replaced by online banking, where people managed their money via their computers. Now online banking is going mobile as smartphones and banking apps allow consumers to bank from wherever they happen to be.

This “Uberization” of finance is turning the banking sector on its head. A Financial Times analysis found that nearly 100,000 banking jobs were cut in 2015, which is roughly equivalent to 10 percent of the combined staff of the top 11 European and U.S. banks. Former Barclays CEO Antony Jenkins last year warned that up to half of banking jobs could be replaced by apps and algorithms over the next decade, according to Business Insider. Financial technology enables consumers to make transactions smarter, cheaper, and often faster, he explained. Just as Uber is squeezing the taxi industry, financial technology will squeeze bank operations, leading to financial industry layoffs.

Banks will need to look ahead if they want to be part of the financial industry change, rather than becoming a victim of it. Financial institutions will need to embrace technology as both a standard way of conducting business and as a way to bring in new sources of revenue. Mobile wallets might be able to offer the solutions that banks need.

Netclearance Systems offers a solution called mBeaconPay, a mobile payment platform that enables banks to acquire new merchants and to offer payment processing services. The technology allows banks to perform these actions without any intervention from the credit card networks and to collect valuable consumer purchase data. Technology is changing the industry – for the better, we believe. Contact us to learn how the latest in financial technology can help you.

Nominated in the Best Cash Innovation category by PYMNTS.COM

Driving to incorporate IoT payments in wearables

Use cases for IoT payments abound. From keyfobs to wearables, they're beginning to show up everywhere. The biggest attribute it must have is that it is something precious to the user that they take with them everywhere, and that isn't lost or misplaced regularly. 

Many banks and card companies are looking towards wearables more than most other options, from rings to watches to fitness bands. American Express announced in April that it partnered with Jawbone for its UP4 band, using NFC technologies, a variation on RFID. Some estimates are that wearable proximity payments will be $501B by 2020.

Mastercard has also jumped on board. In October, they announced:

"The program will launch with the support of several marquee partners across multiple verticals to fit every lifestyle need. Designer to the stars Adam Selman, automaker General Motors, wearable technology innovator Nymi, smart jewelry company Ringly, and Bluetooth locator TrackR are among the prominent consumer brands enabling their products through the program."

The product makers plan to put IoT payment capability into clothing, keyfobs, wristbands and rings, among other items.

PayPal is working the process from the app direction, with apps for wearables containing most  of the functionality of the web-based program, and of course iPhones were at the forefront of IoT payments.

Many of these payment structures have been built like a house with many wings, adding on as they went. The state-of-the-art mBeaconPay platform has been built from the ground up to support all these use cases.

If you're in the market for your organization to develop proximity payment capability in wearables or other candidates from the IoT, we can help.

Nominated in the Best Cash Innovation category by PYMNTS.COM