An indoor positioning system for estate agencies

Abstract

The aim of this master thesis is to evaluate whether operators of large and highly frequented buildings such as train stations, airports and shopping malls can create value with the implementation of an indoor positioning system. The operators and their tenants, the shops, have limited customer knowledge compared to their direct competitors, the online shops, and thus few opportunities to deliver personalised services. The study examines whether the technological opportunity to position users via their smartphones in a building can create value for the operators and their customers, that is, the tenants and the consumers. This subject is poorly covered in the current research, since the combination of the indoor positioning technology with the domain of large and highly frequented buildings is rather specific. What is more, the literature covering this field is mainly industry-driven and thus often biased. In order to identify potential value-creation, various interviews with experts involved in recent indoor positioning projects were conducted. The findings were validated in a case study of SBB Real Estate (SBB RE), for which representatives both from SBB RE itself and from different customer segments of SBB were interviewed. Finally, a recommendation with regard to the implementation of an indoor positioning project at SBB RE was formulated....