MMA Releases White Paper on the State of In-Store Beacon Technology

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Nov 24, 2015) -  As the mobile industry rapidly adopts location technology in all its forms, the Mobile Marketing Association has released, "Understanding the Beacon Proximity Landscape," the latest update from their In-Store and Beacon Working Group. The paper defines the beacon ecosystem and outlines the opportunities and challenges facing brands, retailers, publishers and consumers, giving particular attention to the privacy imperative.

"Nearly two years after iOS 7 'turned on' beacon technology on the device side, and a full year now of major implementations, we have dozens of examples across industries ranging from retail to entertainment showcasing the power of proximity," said Sheryl Daija, Chief Strategy Officer of the MMA. "Together with our member companies that are at the forefront of location marketing, the MMA is taking the lead in helping all stakeholders understand the state of the technology and the magnitude of the opportunity as well as provide guidance on best practice privacy measures."

By outlining current in-store and beacon technology best practices, the paper is the perfect companion for brands, retailers and publishers looking for powerful consumer engagement tools through the holiday season. Given their ability to enable location-triggered mobile engagements and the ensuing insights, beacons are receiving significant attention and adoption rates. Education remains imperative to support strategic and skilled execution.

"As we address the need to modernize current offerings with emerging technologies, it is crucial for the retailers, brands and publishers considering beacon technology to carefully assess implementation, measurement and activation paths to success," said Gary Singh, working group co-chair and Director WLAN/DCS, Zebra Technologies. "The guidance provided today better equips marketers in their evaluation of the tools and resources required to successfully run and perfect campaigns."

The white paper was developed by the MMA's Location Committee In-Store and Beacons Working Group including:

• Adobe Systems Incorporated
• Beeby Clark+Meyler
• Facebook
• Future Of Privacy Forum
• Gimbal Walmart Stores, Inc.
• Google 
• inMarket
• Joingo, LLC
• Mobiquity Networks
• Outspoken
• Placecast
• RGI Inc.
• xAd
• YP
• Yext
• Zebra Technologies

About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
The MMA is the world's leading global non-profit trade mobile marketing association comprised of more than 800 member companies, from nearly fifty countries around the world. Our members hail from every faction of the mobile marketing ecosystem including brand marketers, agencies, mobile technology platforms, media companies, operators and others. The MMA's mission is to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile, driving business growth with closer and stronger consumer engagement. Anchoring the MMA's mission are four core pillars; to cultivate inspiration by driving the innovation for the Chief Marketing Officer; to build the mobile marketing capabilities for the marketing organizations through fostering know-how and confidence; to champion the effectiveness and impact of mobile through research providing tangible ROI measurement; and advocacy. Additionally MMA industry-wide committees work collaboratively to develop and advocate global best practices and lead standards development.

Mobile Marketing is broadly defined as including advertising, apps, messaging, mCommerce and CRM on all mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. Members include: American Express, AT&T, Colgate-Palmolive, Dunkin' Brands, Facebook, Ford Motor Company, Foursquare, Google, Group M, Hewlett Packard, Hilton Worldwide, iHeartMedia, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Co., MasterCard, McDonalds, Mondelez International, Inc. Pandora Media, Pinterest, Procter & Gamble, Razorfish, R/GA, Starcom Worldwide, The Coca-Cola Company, The Weather Company, Unilever, Visa, VEVO, Vodafone, Walmart, xAd and many more. The MMA's global headquarters are located in New York with regional operations in Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), Latin American (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC). For more information about the MMA please visit www.mmaglobal.com.