Since the implementation of e-911 legislation in 2004, there have been major developments in the world of consumer-facing location-based services (LBS), many of which will be entering the market in the year to come.
To many, the idea of a phone that gives your location away to a third party is a scary proposition — but why?
LBS in a variety of forms has transformed B2B operations and infrastructure profoundly in the past 25 years (think just-in-time inventory-management and -procurement systems). No one challenges the merits of these systems, which save time and money and improve efficiency. Yet the widely adopted consumer touch points for this technology have been limited to passive activities, like viewing where your J. Crew packages are with FedEx.
While the hypothetical case of walking by a Starbucks and getting pinged with a coupon for a Frappuccino may seem invasive to some, the proposition is mainly flawed and elicits such a reaction because the value proposition is so weak.
As a data point about a consumer, location adds the critical dimension of relevance to an endless array of consumer-facing services. Imagine being able to shop for the best deal on a camera in midtown by using the location-enabled Web browser in your phone to link to real-time inventory-management systems at Best Buy and Circuit City. Or to instantly find out where you can get a reservation for sushi in Soho by accessing Open Table’s mobile Web site, giving you real-time access to restaurant-reservation systems in the blocks around you. It’s not just a marketer’s dream: LBS can save you money on the things you actually want and provide valuable, relevant information you actually need at the moment when you’re making a decision.
Those LBS-enabled service providers who can find the magic mix in their service offering in exchange for your location not only will be able to deliver value to the end users but also will be able to engender loyalty for enhancing consumers’ lives in real time, in a way that the fixed internet can never compete with.
The numerous issues that LBS faces in reaching such an ideal service offering will be discussed on Friday, July 11 at “The Focus on the Locus,” hosted by the Columbia Institute of Tele-Information.
Photo Credit: Li
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