One on One with the IoT Evolution Speaking Faculty: Ron Cook

By Ken Briodagh January 19, 2016

The IoT Evolution Expo is coming up next week in Fort Lauderdale, and if you haven’t registered yet, what are you waiting for?

As we get ready for the event, I had a quick chat with some of our speakers to pick their brains about the IoT industry and what they will be talking about in their sessions.

In this installment, I spoke with Ron Cook, president and co-founder of Telemetree, Inc., who will be speaking at the Expo on the “Retailers Meet Consumers with IoT Solutions” panel about the how retailers are combining the information from Beacons, Digital Signs, PoS Terminals and Security Cameras with their consumer preference knowledge to optimize revenue. Cook is a frequent lecturer on beacon technology and starting new businesses, and is a Certified Financial Social Worker helping college students and others develop personal financial plans for debt reduction and wealth creation.

Ken Briodagh: On the Home front, carriers and consumer devices seem to be colliding. Is this a battle of channels or capabilities? How will winners be determined?
Ron Cook: The winners will be the developers who can bring disparate systems under one easy-to-control app, regardless of platform. Thus far, consumers are frustrated that the available platforms can control only their own available devices, which typically do not include lighting, audio, thermostats and appliances, garage door, etc. The winners will be the ones who can do it all.

KB: Smart Buildings, Campuses, and Cities are now becoming more commonplace. What successes are we seeing and do what is the metric for success?
RC: The metric for success should be the number of connected devices and the platforms that are able to offer cross-platform compatibility. Consumers do not want platforms that cannot control a wide variety of devices using various proprietary platforms. They want it all in one app.

KB: The retail use of IoT continues to expand with beacons adding to the interaction with consumers and their phones. Should we expect that POS is going to rely on Smartphone apps for improved customer service?
RC: Yes, definitely! And the future will see beacons and augmented reality combine to provide a much richer consumer experience. We can also expect to see the continued adoption of smartphone payment options, and the winners will be those businesses that can accommodate ALL payment platforms. When consumers can use ALL devices to see ALL info on products and services and pay with ALL available methods – that is where we are headed. The other key benefit to merchants will be the consumer behavior data, which will lead the way to more effective merchandising and consumer engagement.