{"id":24237,"date":"2016-09-14T22:39:24","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T02:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/?p=24237"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:35:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T20:35:43","slug":"engage-consumers-iot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andysowards.com\/blog\/2016\/engage-consumers-iot\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Engage Consumers Through The IoT"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the Internet has revolutionized the way we do business in the last few decades, the Internet of Things is doing it all over again today. Once discussed vaguely as a technological concept of the near future, the IoT is now a vast reality in which we all participate\u2014knowingly or not. It consists of any and all devices with Internet connections that are capable of sharing information with one another, and its potential to change places of business is difficult to overstate.<\/p>\n

For anyone running a business the ability to engage with consumers and understand and meet their needs is vital. In the past, these efforts have mostly come down to hard work and personal attention from business owners and employees. There\u2019s certainly nothing wrong with that personal touch, but business owners can now automate some of the more tedious aspects of customer engagement employing the IoT strategically, ultimately attracting more business and providing superior service.<\/p>\n

Gathering Data From Customers<\/h3>\n

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\n5 Tips for Crafting a Marketing Strategy for the Internet of Things (IoT)<\/em><\/p>\n

In recent years, there have only been a few reliable ways to acquire customer feedback as an owner or employee in a business. You could ask for customers to fill out written surveys, ask them to fill out similar surveys online, or speak to them at the point of sale. These methods could (and still can) generate valuable findings, but they also require constant attention and cooperative consumers. Neither is a sure thing, and that means that a lot of potential feedback could slip through the cracks.<\/p>\n

Now, effective content marketers have the capability to harness the IoT in order to discover customer data in a more effortless and comprehensive manner. It should be stated that this needs to be done in an ethical and responsible way, involving full permission from the consumer regarding any information that could be shared. With that said, a fairly simple mobile app can help to gather quick, easily analyzed feedback as well as more general information.<\/p>\n

Specifically, if your place of business has its own app, you can have it designed in a way that allows for each and every customer to go in and rate your products, customer service, store experience, or whatever else you may be curious about. This requires some engagement from the customer, but it\u2019s quicker than filling out almost any other kind of survey and sometimes it\u2019s as simple as tapping a number of stars from one to five. Additionally, however, a mobile app can gather information about a customer\u2019s actual visiting activity. It can record when that customer visits your place of business, how long he or she stays, and whether or not a purchase was made. This sort of information can be compiled and analyzed to help any business owner to understand sales patterns and act accordingly to strengthen performance.<\/p>\n

Managing Supply & Inventory<\/h3>\n

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\n15,000 robots and counting: Inside Amazon\u2019s new fulfillment centers<\/em><\/p>\n

Much has been made of the IoT\u2019s potential to cause drastic changes in business supply chains. In larger companies, it begins in warehouses and factories where products are designed and packaged. There, various IoT-enabled sensors can track items, measure machine performances, and keep track of general conditions and progress in a way that can allow for improvements across the board. From there, the IoT continues its reach during the actual shipping process in a way that may even help some smaller business owners.<\/p>\n

More and more frequently, fleet vehicles are being outfitted with WiFi and sensors that report on routing information, vehicle diagnostics, driver performance, and, in some cases, even the status or quantity of the product on board. This may sound a little bit excessive to those who don\u2019t deal with large shipping operations, but the truth is that it allows business owners to consider every step of the fleet management process and monitor their products accordingly. In short, IoT-enabled fleets make shipping more precise and predictable.<\/p>\n