Technological innovation in the mobile world has made lives better. For the last three decades in a row, the new feature release enabled mobile apps to retain existing users and increase user acquisition. Geolocation technology is one of the best additions to the mobile app landscape that has helped in reducing app uninstallation and increasing user engagement. Let’s discuss it in detail.
Table of Contents
Geolocation technology allows users to find out the device’s position based on the location’s geographical measures and coordinates. It includes identifying and sharing the precise location of the digital device or other equipment. The low-power geolocation technology is leveraged in mobile apps to track the device locations using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The Global low power geolocation market size is expected to reach $100.43 billion by 2027 by 2027 at a CAGR of 25.4%.
Post-pandemic, 5G networks, and smart infrastructure development positively influenced GPS technology usage in mobile app development. The increasing security concerns, integration with IoT, growing fleet operations, and geolocation area are other factors driving the growth of geolocation technology. The geolocation feature is one of the best mobile app features that most businesses are integrating to innovate their mobile applications.
Geolocation technology has provided a bunch of benefits to various industry verticals by unveiling new opportunities. Businesses are using technology differently to take advantage of it differently.
The location-based apps such as travel apps, taxi booking, truck booking, car sharing, and others get benefited from GPS technology. The apps provide the best routes in real-time based on weather data, traffic jams, road conditions, and users’ locations so intended users can reach the desired location without much ado. The technology is the essence of on-demand transportation apps that have changed the way people hire and book taxis, and are contributing heavily to the world economy.
GPS technology stays at the heart of delivery services, be it food delivery, grocery delivery, laundry, fuel delivery, or handyman services. It enables the service providers and the end-users track product/service in real-time, and know expected delivery times, and delivery status. During a pandemic, these delivery services have multiplied the sales and ROI by manifolds.
Digital connections have turned out to be stronger and more popular in the world. The social networking apps like- Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are allowing people to create huge communities having similar interests. The geolocation feature plays a vital role in making this connection seamless.
For instance, dating apps allow people to find and meet their partners or friends as per their preferred locations. Businesses can build and promote the brand locally to market the services in a specific region. The recommendation apps leverage the social power that helps interested people know about reviews and ratings of previous customers.
Location-based GPS technology is highly leveraged in games, especially augmented reality games that have made a mark in the game industry. Pokemon go- the location-based game earned millions of downloads and thrived the users across the globe. Saying, it’s a game that has brought AR technology before the world at scale won’t be an overstatement at all.
With growing healthy lifestyle standards, people are increasingly using health and fitness apps that allow them to track the steps they run or the distance covered in a day during swimming, walking, or running. Plus, the geolocation technology allows users to find hospitals or pharmacists in nearby locations when needed in an emergency.
The GPS integration enables stores to collect and analyze the users’ data such as their changing preferences and interests in the products/services whenever they visit different franchises of the brand stores. The insights with the geolocation app help in figuring out and planning customized marketing strategies.
GPS technology is a powerful weapon in the store’s arsenal that improves the appeal to the customers by delivering wow experiences. The retail stores when sending tailored offers to the customers based on previous purchases make them more interested in shopping. Retailers can get the most out of the opportunity by using GPS tech tactically.
The local stores are increasingly focusing on location-based app development that helps them increase brand awareness. The GPS-powered apps when sending a message to the people passing by the store, it makes the people aware of the brand store and its offerings locally. It builds the brand store’s credibility and reliability.
The customer relationship bond is strengthened when customers get things that they are looking for. The geolocation apps, when offering things at a local level, mean they are taking care of things at a trivial level. The diminished errors, improved request processing, and tailored messages make the customer happy and a loyal fan of the brand.
Remember, the message you received from a brick-and-mortar store regarding new arrivals or the latest deals when you come in the proximity of the store makes you visit the store at least once. It’s a power of GPS technology that helps businesses increase footfall, sales, and thus, ROI.
The brands having physical stores along with an online presence can greatly benefit from the geolocation apps. The geolocation technology allows the customers to tag the business socially when they visit the store, which increases the traffic to the physical store.
Geolocation technology collects the users’ location data and businesses in various ways.
The global positioning satellites spanning across the globe makes tracking device location precisely as the receivers of global satellite system comes with built-in smartphones.
According to Bloomberg, the location-based services market is expected to reach $114 billion by 2026 due to the upsurge in the use of smartphones and GPS.
Wi-fi helps in accessing the location accurately, but it’s a daunting task to ensure all the users keep their Wi-Fi on.
Smartphones receive signals from the connected cellular base stations. The base stations help in receiving the geographical coordinates of the mobile devices but it mostly counts on the radio signals.
Tracking the locations precisely within the buildings or supermall is not possible with GPS TECHNOLOGY. That’s where low-power Bluetooth iBeacon helps a ton in navigating the buildings through notifications.
The location service APIs and maps are major ingredients of geolocation app development. For instance, Android OS provides Android API and Google maps and Apple OS provides an Apple map kit to enable GPS-powered app development.
It indicates the API has the necessary toolset to implement GPS functionality. The APIs can handle geographical coordinates for identifying device location or showing location on the map. The secondary API is also created to enable custom-location services such as an API displaying a list of nearby restaurants.
Conclusion
In the connected digital world, getting a mobile number or physical address of the people is a work of an average Joe. People willingly share their location details to get special privileges or personalized benefits such as getting directions, custom recommendations, buying products, listening to music, and others. Businesses have started recognizing the pros of geolocation in mobile apps. The benefits enlisted in the guide would help businesses in the areas where they can improve and increase ROI.
Interested businesses can get connected with top mobile app developers to incorporate geolocation technology in the existing apps or get built a new location-powered mobile app.
An enthusiastic Operations Manager at TopDevelopers.co, coordinating and managing the technical and functional areas. She is an adventure lover, passionate traveler, an admirer of nature, who believes that a cup of coffee is the prime source to feel rejuvenated. Researching and writing about technology keeps her boosted and enhances her professional journeying.