Emerging Markets, Indoor Location and Advertising to Boost Mobile Location Based Services Markets says Strategy Analytics

BOSTON, April 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Falling barriers to the adoption of location-based services (LBS) in emerging markets, combined with momentum behind indoor LBS and mobile advertising, are set to fuel future growth in mobile LBS according to  Strategy Analytics' Wireless Media Strategies (WMS) report "Emerging Markets, Indoor Location & Mobile Advertising to Drive Future Mobile LBS Market Growth."

Click here for the report:  https://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=reportabstractviewer&a0=9572

Falling price points for GPS enabled handsets coupled with rising mobile data adoption will boost LBS adoption and use.  Furthermore, increasing activity around indoor maps and accurate indoor positioning technology via low-energy Bluetooth beacon technology and WiFi will enable the rise of indoor LBS, including proximity marketing on mobile devices.

The adoption of mobile location based services such as maps and in-car navigation has been widespread in countries with both high smartphone and data plan adoption, and will spread to countries like India and China, where smartphone ownership and data plan adoption is rising fast. Nitesh Patel, Director of Wireless Media Strategies at Strategy Analytics, noted "In addition to the continued adoption of mobile LBS in rising mobile data markets, venue owners and brands are increasingly testing the capabilities of mobile devices to deliver enhanced customer experiences and engagement. We see the increasing activity around indoor location and mobile marketing by brands, retailers, and owners of complex venues as a clear signal that indoor LBS and location-enhanced marketing will drive the next wave of growth in the mobile LBS sector." 

The report also assesses the strengths and weaknesses of key LBS players, Apple, Google, HERE, and TomTom, across a variety of important metrics, including map and navigation coverage, indoor venue capabilities, OS reach, in-vehicle connectivity, offline usage, local search and crowd sourcing.

David MacQueen, Director of Media and Apps at Strategy Analytics, says "HERE is the overall leader in terms of its mapping and location capabilities, followed by Google, TomTom and then Apple. HERE's opportunity for growth have improved significantly with its horizontal strategy, following the sale of Nokia's devices and service unit to Microsoft. However, Google is the leader in business –to-consumer (B2C) LBS applications, as it benefits from preloading on most Android handsets, and is the most widely used map, navigation and local search app. Apple remains in catch-up mode, although its high smartphone market share and acquisitions to enhance its LBS capabilities, such as Locationary, WiFiSlam, Embark and BroadMap, keep it a major player."

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com 

European Contact: Nitesh Patel, +44(0) 1908 423 621, [email protected]

US Contact: David Kerr, +1 617 614 0720, [email protected]

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SOURCE Strategy Analytics