Digitales Minden

Minden’s Beacon Mile as a trial run in the city

In 2016 Minden was the first German city to install what has already been adopted widely in the USA, and is being tested by Ikea, Media Markt and McDonalds in dozens of their shops in Germany: Beacons. Roughly 50 of the small transmitters have been installed since 2016 in the Minden pedestrian precinct as well as in shops and museums. Beacons prompt smartphones within a radius of up to 70 m to download so-called push messages from the Internet. This beacon infrastructure enables tourists in Minden to explore the historic old town route with all its unique places of interest on their own via podcasts using only their smartphone. The "mini transmitter" has incredible potential, above all with the retail trade and restaurants. Because push messages win customers and bring them into shops. But they are also valuable for keeping customers interested, for instance by rewarding regular customers with coupons, discounts or loyalty rewards upon entering a shop. The “uplifting message” at the Minden Beacon Mile also offers something for the "soul" – trading in the hectic daily routine for a moment of deceleration and contemplation.

As a "location based service” this site-specific technology opens up brand new avenues for approaching customers. With the Minden Beacon Mile, the Weser city is the first in Germany to offer a functional infrastructure for mobile use of the new beacon technology.

The basis therefor is „BAM!“: activate your Bluetooth, open the APP and experience Minden!