Can I use beacons to get a customer's name on approach?

Question

I'd like to know if it's possible to access personal information supplied within an app on a user's device and transmit that information on approach?

Example: Customer has my coffee shop app installed on their device and is logged into their account (where they have provided their first name). As they enter the shop, the barista can see their name on a tablet behind the counter and greet them by their name.

If so, can anyone point me in the direction of a demo or example?

Answer 1

Yes, that is possible, but it has to be done entirely in your app.

1. app detects the iBeacon
2. app sends the name (likely entered in the app settings) to some sort of service (rest api, web service, etc...)
3. the app that the barista has access to is notified of the person approaching.

For a demo app you probably want to look at push notifications really, the iBeacon side is pretty boring for this use case.

As a total aside, make sure this sort of thing is opt-in - this could be creepy, and people don't like creepy.