{"id":20953,"date":"2020-01-30T14:01:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T14:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/proximity-marketing"},"modified":"2026-09-28T15:44:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:44:33","slug":"proximity-marketing","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/proximity-marketing","title":{"rendered":"Proximity Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-23350 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/proximity-marketing.jpg\" alt=\"Proximity Marketing\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/proximity-marketing.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/proximity-marketing-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Proximity marketing<\/strong> is the set of actions that use a person&#8217;s presence in an area or near a specific point to provide information, services or communications related to that context. It can rely on a device&#8217;s location, short-range signals or an interaction initiated by the user.<\/p>\n<p>It does not mean sending advertising to everyone who passes a location. <strong>Proximity must be relevant to the message, and the communication must respect applicable permissions, consent and preferences<\/strong>. It is also not an exact synonym for hyperlocal marketing, which can target content or campaigns to small areas without detecting each user&#8217;s presence.<\/p>\n\n<h2>How proximity marketing works<\/h2>\n<p>An action begins by defining an area, establishment, event or object to which the communication will relate. <strong>The system detects a contextual signal and applies rules before activating the experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The process commonly includes:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Context definition:<\/strong> A geographical perimeter, proximity to a transmitter or an interaction point is established.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Detection or voluntary action:<\/strong> An application recognises entry into the area, a device receives a signal, or the person scans or taps their phone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Condition evaluation:<\/strong> The system checks permissions, schedule, frequency, profile or prior relationship before deciding whether to respond.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Experience delivery:<\/strong> It may display information, open a page, activate a notification, provide a guide or present an offer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recording and measurement:<\/strong> Activations, interactions and outcomes are counted within the defined data limits.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Location does not always have to be stored as an individual history. <strong>Some experiences can be resolved on the device or through a one-off interaction<\/strong>, while others use location data associated with an application or account.<\/p>\n<h2>Technologies and formats<\/h2>\n<p>Proximity marketing does not depend on a single technology. <strong>Each mechanism has a different range, technical requirements and level of user participation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Geofencing:<\/strong> It defines a virtual perimeter through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/geolocation\">geolocation<\/a>. An application with the required permissions can react when the device enters or leaves the area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bluetooth Low Energy beacons:<\/strong> A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/beacon\">beacon<\/a> broadcasts an identifier that a compatible application can recognise at short range. The transmitter does not identify people by itself or automatically send an offer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NFC:<\/strong> It starts an action when a device is brought close to a compatible tag or terminal. The interaction is generally deliberate and operates over a very short distance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>QR codes:<\/strong> A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/qr-code\">QR code<\/a> connects a physical medium to a digital page or function when the person chooses to scan it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wi-Fi and captive portals:<\/strong> A local network can provide access, information or services connected to the establishment, with clear conditions and notices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Applications and notifications:<\/strong> An app can combine location, preferences and frequency rules to send communications. An ordinary SMS or a general notification does not become proximity marketing unless it depends on presence or local context.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Distributing leaflets belongs to local marketing, but <strong>it requires neither technology nor proximity detection and does not by itself represent how this approach specifically works<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Uses and examples<\/h2>\n<p>Actions may be promotional, informational or service-based. <strong>Value arises when location changes what the person needs at that moment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Retail:<\/strong> Displaying availability, collection, loyalty or offer information when someone enters a shop or approaches a section.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Museums and cultural venues:<\/strong> Opening an audio guide or content related to a room, work or route.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Events:<\/strong> Providing accreditation, schedules, directions or notices associated with an area of the venue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hospitality:<\/strong> Presenting a menu, managing a reservation or activating services while the customer is at the establishment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transport and facilities:<\/strong> Communicating changes, access information or instructions relevant to a station, car park, campus or building.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Omnichannel experiences:<\/strong> Connecting a physical visit to an application, customer account or later purchase, provided that the relationship can be explained and measured.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A code placed next to a product and a notification triggered on entering a shop are different experiences. <strong>In the first, the person initiates the interaction; in the second, the system needs permissions and rules to detect the context and communicate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Advantages and limitations<\/h2>\n<p>Proximity can increase the temporal and geographical relevance of a communication. <strong>It does not guarantee attention, sales or loyalty<\/strong>, but it can reduce messages unrelated to the context and make a specific action easier.<\/p>\n<p>Potential advantages include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Contextual relevance:<\/strong> It connects the message to the place, time or activity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical and digital continuity:<\/strong> It links facilities, products or events to digital information and functions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Operational segmentation:<\/strong> It differentiates areas, schedules and situations without applying the same communication to everyone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interaction measurement:<\/strong> It helps observe activations, opens, visits or redemptions when the implementation supports attribution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It also has limitations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Technical dependency:<\/strong> GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, connectivity, an installed application or certain permissions may be required.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Variable accuracy:<\/strong> Signals can be affected by buildings, device settings or the size of the perimeter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Notification fatigue:<\/strong> Excessive frequency reduces usefulness and can lead people to disable communications.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coverage bias:<\/strong> Users who grant permissions or use an application do not necessarily represent everyone present.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uncertain attribution:<\/strong> An interaction near a venue does not by itself prove that the communication caused a visit or purchase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Privacy, consent and control<\/h2>\n<p>Location data can reveal routines and sensitive places. <strong>The organisation should justify which data it needs, explain the purpose and limit its use and retention<\/strong> according to the applicable law and context.<\/p>\n<p>The implementation should provide understandable controls for granting or withdrawing permissions, managing communications and avoiding excessive frequency. <strong>Allowing location access does not necessarily mean consenting to advertising<\/strong>, so technical permissions and consent for communications may require separate treatment.<\/p>\n<p>It is also important to distinguish a technical signal from identity. A beacon broadcasts an identifier and an NFC tag waits for an interaction; <strong>the association with a person appears when an application, account or other system connects that signal to additional data<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Measurement and relationship with local SEO<\/h2>\n<p>Evaluation may include devices that meet the conditions, activations, opens, scans, interaction time, visits, redemptions, leads or attributed sales. <strong>Metrics should match the objective and be compared with a baseline, control group or equivalent periods where possible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Proximity marketing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/seo-agency-spain\">local SEO<\/a> can complement each other, but they perform different functions. <strong>Local SEO seeks organic visibility when someone makes a search with geographical intent; proximity marketing activates an experience associated with presence or interaction in an environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>A business may appear in a local search before a visit and use a proximity experience inside the venue. The campaign does not directly improve local rankings by activating beacons, codes or notifications. <strong>Its contribution should be evaluated through observable behaviour and outcomes, not through an automatic relationship with rankings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Proximity marketing activates experiences based on location or nearby signals. Learn how it works, its technologies, uses, privacy, limits and measurement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":80947,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[404,1359],"class_list":["post-20953","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-local-seo","encyclopedia-tag-mobile-marketing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/20953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=20953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}