Notify Nearby Launches To Connect Brands To Consumers

As beacons enter yet another year of waiting to take off, more and more startups are getting into the game of trying to figure out the secret sauce to perfect beacon implementation and consumer engagement. Notify Nearby, a recent entry to the field, may turn heads with its interesting proposal on how to actually use the tech.

TechCrunch reported that Notify Nearby recently launched its consumer-facing app on iOS and Android in an attempt to change the way beacons are used to engage with niche consumer bases. Starting with the fashion world, Notify Nearby and CEO Nevin Jethmalani want to move consumers and marketers away from the notion that beacons can and should only be used as vehicles for push notifications.

“Of course, because of the way human nature is, promotions will do the best,” Jethmalani told TechCrunch. “But strong pieces of content [can include] product launches, new collaborations, exclusives. If someone posts a product launch to our app, that’s something people are going to find really appealing.”

Notify Nearby is mostly centered in New York at the moment, as most of its clients and beacon network are set up in Manhattan shopping neighborhoods. However, it distinguishes itself from other beacon-based push notification networks by delivering beefed-up content, as well as greater customization options for users. Instead of bombarding consumers with every available coupon, Notify Nearby limits communication to messages from only those brands that users have pre-selected and permitted to contact them through the app.

“Content on our app is not just ads or coupons but information that a shopper wants to receive,” Jethmalani said in an interview with VentureBeat. “Our competitors focus on coupons or pushing products and having retailers spend money for ad space. We focus on giving every brand on our app the same experience.”