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Orange and Barclaycard Announce Samsung Wave 578
4 months ago
Orange and Barclaycard have joined forces with Samsung to produce the Samsung Wave 578, which is the second mobile they’ve launched that supports “Quick Tap”.
Quick Tapuses NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology to enable Orange customers to pay for items using their smartphone. With Quick Tap you can pay for items up to a value of £15 by tapping your phone in stores supporting NFC, which includes McDonalds , Subway, Wilkinson and Little Chef.
In order to use the service you need either an Orange or Barclays credit-card to link with your mobile, as well as a Quick-Tap mobile. The maximum amount you can pre-load onto your smartphone is £100 so that the liability is limited. You can also add a PIN to your transactions and terminate the service if you lose your mobile.
Earlier in the year the Samsung Tocco Quick Tap launched which is an NFC version of the Tocco Lite. That’s now been followed by a second mobile with the announcement of the Samsung Wave 578.
The Samsung Wave 578 has a decent specification that includes a 3.2 inch touch-screen , 3.2 mega-pixel camera and it runs on the Samsung Bada operating system. Other supported features include WiFi, 3G+, A-GPS, Bluetooth and obviously Quick Tap.
If you activate a Quick-tap account now you’ll receive £10 free and a 10% cash-back on all transactions taken in the first 90 days. This implies that Orange and Barclaycard are making a nice commission on the purchases, but they also want the service to be adopted so they might make a loss initially or just break even.
The Samsung Wave 578 will be added to the Orange store in the coming weeks and once we get the price and exact date we’ll let you know.
Orange To Expand Mobile Advertising Services To All Of Europe, Including Localized SMS & MMS Ads
1 year ago
As MWC heads into full swing the announcements are coming in hot and heavy, starting with Orange debuting it’s mobile advertising plans for 2010.
You may remember Orange announcing a pilot program about a month ago related to it’s integration with Blyk, dubbed “Orange shots,” which serves SMS/MMS ads based on user preference and other user data obtained through the carrier. With the pilot proving very successful, Orange is furthering it’s plans to cover its entire European footprint by the end of 2010.
Orange is taking things a step further by bringing interactive SMS and MMS advertising into new markets and tailoring offers locally to give advertisers new and targeted ways to engage with customers, no matter where they might be located across Europe. Depending on which market, each offer is tailored to incentivize customers with localized, relevant rewards such as exclusive content, film and games reviews, celebrity gossip, free texts, prizes and other benefits like up-to-date sports information.
The key to Orange’s strategy is its emphasis on tailored localized services for each geographic region in its footprint. For example, Orange will debut a new interactive ad-supported service called “Mio” in Spain this month, which provides all mobile customers in Spain the chance to opt-in, reaching beyond youth audiences, and serving highly relevant and location-based ads tailored to Spanish mobile customers.
Other mobile advertising trials are also taking place in Egypt and Jordan in the first half of this year, allowing for expansion into emerging markets, as well as mature markets overtime. This localized approach is exactly what carriers should have been doing for a long time- utilizing the data it retains to provide unparalleled targeting and relevancy possibilities for mobile advertisers.
Paul Francois Fournier, Executive vice president in charge of audience and advertising says: “Orange is at the forefront of giving advertisers exactly what they need – direct, targeted dialogue with customers. Supported by our global ad-sales network and combined with our unique multi-screen reach, our new mobile ad-models go beyond display advertising to create more value for advertisers, create a richer experience for customers and maximize the use of our networks with clever innovation.”
To help localize interactive offers in different markets Orange has formed strategic partnerships with various providers, including Blyk in the UK and Velti in Spain. Last year in the UK, Orange launched a new prepaid tariff called Monkey for young pay-as-you-go customers, allowing advertisers to send customers targeted messages based on their feedback in return for great offers from their favorite brands. Orange UK now has over 100,000 Monkey subscribers, and intends on furthering its success by its new 2010 initiatives.
The Blyk-provided pilot, or “Monkey” services released a short time ago, proved that carriers have the power to provide some of the best mobile advertising capabilities available. As Orange furthers its strategy, it’s likely it will help other carriers wake up and smell the opportunity, though it may only be wishful thinking.
Orange and Barclaycard move towards NFC payments launch
2 years ago
Orange & Barclaycard
The British bank and the mobile network operator have launched a co-branded credit card, described as “the next step in the partnership between Orange and Barclaycard to deliver contactless mobile payments.”
Orange and Barclaycard have launched the Orange Credit Card, a contactless card that the two companies describe as “the latest step in Orange and Barclaycard’s long-term strategic partnership aimed at introducing a broad range of mobile, financial and payment services to evolve the way consumers make payment transactions in the UK.”
The two companies first announced their strategic partnership in March 2009. At the time, Barclaycard CEO Antony Jenkins predicted that “all our UK customers will be able to use their mobile phones to pay for everyday items within three years.”
The new Orange Credit Card includes automated SMS alerts designed to help customers keep track of their spending. Customers can set a weekly or monthly budget and then set the alerts to trigger whenever their budget is reached. They can then choose to automatically decline transactions if they exceed the budget.
The card also includes a rewards programme, with one point being earned for every £1 spent. Rewards can then be redeemed for vouchers that can be used at high street stores, charitable donations or for tickets to events or for trips.
“A key part of our UK strategy is to grow and evolve our business, whilst at the same time provide extra value for our customers,” says Orange UK’s Marc Overton. “In partnering with Barclaycard, we believe we’re doing just that, and today’s announcement is the next exciting step in the journey to the future world of consumers paying for everyday goods on their mobile phone.”
“We are seeing demand from both retailers and customers for ever more convenient ways to pay and accept payment and believe that mobile and contactless technologies are key to meeting those needs,” added Chris Wood, managing director of Barclaycard. “This announcement shows how, in partnership with Orange, Barclaycard is starting to make mobile contactless payments a step closer for UK consumers.”
