The internet of things (IoT) is becoming very important to consumers as well as users. It offers a lot of new opportunities for marketers and challenges when striving to connect with consumers. The internet of things since the last couple of years have been making great advances and is fast becoming a potential tool for online marketers. As a marker, any innovation that shows any capability of linking you to potential customers, you should not hesitate to give it a try. In this article, we’re going to look at some five surprising facts about the internet of things (IoT) you did not know maybe.
Fast Integration
One surprising thing about the internet of things is that while it feels like an emerging internet application, it is now, and has been for sometime bigger than the web itself
It shows that lots of IoT devices have been connected to the internet since 2008. A Cisco IBSG report shows that the number of devices connected to the internet surpassed the number of people connected in 2008 and now the number has greatly increased. More than ten million devices have been currently estimated in 2018, and by 2020, the number will at least double
Services and Products can be easily integrated into IoT devices
We tend to hear a lot about beacons, wearables as marketers and other customer-oriented applications more often these days, but according to a report by Growth Enabler, the internet of things market is dominated by three sub-sectors, Smart cities (26%), industries (24%), and the healthcare (20). These statistics should be well noted by marketers because it can better help them to strategize, knowing exactly where to direct their energy which will, in turn, save them more time and money. This means that instead of pushing marketing messages through to customers, they should instead seek to integrate their services or products into the internet of things devices in one of these three areas stated above. Smart city devices have the largest share of the market now and directing your energy to such a direction can be very fruitful. But getting ready for the challenges there.
Internet of things upcoming devices are being designed to use renewable energy
The sensors that are required to collect the data and deliver it through the internet need electricity which is a very big limiting aspects the internet of things is facing now. This either means that the internet of things deployments must either be connected with the use of wires to a power source which somewhat challenges the purpose of IoT or uses a battery that will need to be changed every time.
Very big steps have been taken by scientists in developing powerless IoT sensors which do not require mains electricity or batteries to function. Instead, some of these IoT devices will be powered with light, heat, radio frequencies or vibration. This should be very important to marketers so they can use this to come up with innovative ways on how these fuss-free sensors can be used to improve their product or services. These powerless internet of things devices will be of great advantage to internet marketers.
Hairbrush innovative application of internet of things
The most interesting internet of things device there is now is the IoT hairbrush, designed by L’Oréal, this internet of things device is duped the “hair coach.” This internet-connected brush uses a microphone to detect hair brushing patterns as well as sensors that are capable of analyzing brushing patterns. It collects the data on the user’s hair brushing habits, upload it to the cloud, and the summary of the statistics are made through an app. After each brushing session, hair audits are conducted, and some corrective measures are provided which often include Kerastase shampoo recommendations. This product was announced in CES in 2017 but has not been officially released since the said date. It applies internet of things to the fullest.
With all that we know now, we can begin to figure what lays in waiting in the days ahead. Our lives will be directly and sometimes indirectly affected by this. We stand to gain a lot from the internet of things.
References:
- https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/05/04/9-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-internet-of-thing.aspx
- https://www.businessinsider.com/6-things-everyone-needs-to-know-about-the-internet-of-things-2017-6
- https://connected.rogers.com/tech-and-gadgets/posts/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-internet-631131
- https://econsultancy.com/five-things-iot/
