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Integrated NFC/RFID solution for deploying all-in-one RFID infrastructure for inventory & security to retailers opens new marketing channels to consumers
TAGSYS, a provider of item-level RFID infrastructure, and Think&Go, a specialist in Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled services and solutions to the retail industry, today announced that they have combined forces to offer retailers a complete RFID/NFC integrated solution to not only manage inventory and security but also enhance the customer shopping experience, keeping the same RFID Tag infrastructure.
The partnership grew out of collaboration on several projects to extend the reach of RFID item-level tracking beyond the scope of inventory and security management to the consumer shopping experience. Using the same RFID infrastructure, manufacturers can benefit from distributed product information–and consumers, through their NFC-enabled smartphones–can access personalized information and services.
The combined TAGSYS and Think&Go NFC solution offers new benefits to retailers and consumers, without adding large infrastructure costs.
More and more Retailers and Brands are adopting RFID technology: A recent announcement indicated that 850 Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores will deploy radio frequency identification technology at product level in 2012.
Many RFID projects use tags that can be read with the increasingly available NFC phones. When RFID tags are used to track high-value spare parts in the Luxury market, or to verify product authentication in the medical industry, the item-level tracking is used by the distribution network and by the point of sale. By using widely available NFC phones, Brands and Retailers can now offer extended product information (i.e. marketing, couponing, alerting) to their customers and consumers, and therefore optimize costs and reactivity of their extended distribution network.
In the Apparel market, where item-level RFID tracking goes as far as the retail outlet, existing RFID tags being used for regular inventory control and for security purposes can also be read by consumers equipped with NFC phones to provide additional product information, collect coupons and link to social networks, allowing an integrated brand-to-consumer information system with benefits in cost control and consumer loyalty.
“This partnership expands the reach of traditional item-level RFID and NFC applications,” said Alain Fanet CEO of TAGSYS. “By integrating our respective technologies, TAGSYS will not only simplify the deployment of real-time wireless tracking and communications technologies over the cloud, but also provide valuable customer and product data to retailers and manufacturers, while enhancing the shopping experience for consumers and building brand loyalty.”
“We have been delighted to discover the complementarity of our solutions and we are confident that the combination of our NFC-Shopping solution which has been deployed with several leading chain stores with TAGSYS’ widely successful solutions will bring far reaching benefits to our retail customers,” added Vincent Berge, CEO and Founder of Think&Go NFC.
TAGSYS and Think&Go NFC will both be present at NRF Retail’s Big Show from 15th to 18th January 2012 in New York City, USA.
Tetherball Teams with ViVOtech to Accelerate Mass Adoption of Mobile Loyalty Programs through Contactless Redemption
2 years ago
Companies Form Collaborative Alliance to Launch Contactless Mobile Loyalty Solutions Using Existing Handsets Aimed at Advancing Mobile Loyalty Deployment in U.S.
INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Tetherball, an industry leader in mobile loyalty and rewards solutions, today announced it has teamed with ViVOtech, the leading software provider of Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile phone payments, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning of promotions and payment cards, and smart poster applications, to offer its recently introduced RFID based mobile loyalty programs to existing users of ViVOtech’s contactless reader technology.
“We are delighted to team with ViVOtech, a clear market leader in contactless and mobile technologies, which will allow brands to rapidly deploy and scale our RFID based mobile loyalty programs,” said Jay Highley, President and COO of Tetherball. “For the 140,000 merchant locations in the United States that have deployed close to 500,000 of ViVOtech’s contactless readers in total, adoption of mobile loyalty programs is easier than ever — no other equipment or software is required to establish a measurable mobile marketing solution through Tetherball. Brands are looking to deploy a simple, easy-to-adopt mobile solution that allows them to build and measure their mobile loyalty programs — our RFID tag technology and patent pending Mobiquitous™ 2.0 reporting platform combined with ViVOtech’s readers allows them to do both – and more!”
“This alliance bodes well for Tetherball, ViVOtech and the mobile marketing industry as a whole. Tetherball’s solution, combined with our mobile contactless technology for existing handsets, paves the way for brands to quickly and efficiently add mobile loyalty to their marketing mix,” said Mohammad Khan, President and Founder of ViVOtech Inc. “Using this customer-engaging mobile loyalty program, merchants will be able to deliver personalized promotions to their customers based on who they are and where they are.”
How it Works
Integrating traditional marketing methods such as in-store advertising, customers are engaged to sign up for mobile loyalty rewards programs offering promotional discounts and rewards points for purchases or visits. Upon joining, customers are given a Tetherball Tag™ powered by ViVOtech technology, a tiny RFID chip that is easily affixed to their current mobile phones, which uniquely identifies them through Tetherball’s sophisticated technology platform. Tetherball clients are then able to send offers to their customers via standard text messaging. Offers are redeemed electronically using existing in-store Contactless point-of-sale terminals or stand-alone Contactless kiosks provided by Tetherball.
About Tetherball
Tetherball, an innovative Mobile Loyalty services provider, offers a different approach to digital relationship marketing by “tethering” brands to target audiences through their mobile devices. Tetherball programs increase revenue, improve profitability and drive customer loyalty through mobile coupons, mobile rewards programs, mobile sweepstakes and mobile notifications. Tetherball clients enjoy real time analytics and reporting on program performance and redemption through Mobiquitous 2.0™, Tetherball’s own patent-pending web-based intelligent analytics platform. Tetherball serves national retailers and ad agencies and has delivered over 150% growth in new revenue and higher customer retention and loyalty for these clients. Founded in 2007, Tetherball was the first company in the U.S. to deploy an RFID based mobile loyalty solution and is one of the fastest growing mobile marketing companies in the United States. For more information, please visit www.tetherball360.com.
About ViVOtech
ViVOtech (www.vivotech.com) is the leading end to end enabler of next generation mobile payments, loyalty, and marketing solutions. ViVOtech provides Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payment solutions, mobile marketing and loyalty applications software, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure software, NFC smart posters, and contactless terminals. ViVOtech’s products are used by the most prominent retailers all over the globe and today the company has shipped over 550,000 contactless terminals to more than 35 countries worldwide. In 2009 ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan North American Smart Cards Product Line Strategy of the Year Award. ViVOtech was named #1 in ABI Research’s Contactless & NFC Reader Ranking Report, last issued in 2008. ViVOtech’s investors include Citi, First Data Corporation, Motorola Ventures, NCR, and Nokia Growth Partners.
RFID News Roundup
Confidex Offers Tag Services to Ease Deployment
Finnish tag manufacturer Confidex has launched new services designed to help companies more easily deploy RFID in their organizations. The new tag personalization services include tag encoding, visual marking and fixing tools. With tag encoding, a customer can order and receive tags pre-encoded with an Electronic Product Code (EPC) or some other type of serial number. If necessary, each tag can also include visual markings such as a printed bar code, as well as any other visual information required by a particular client. According to Confidex, it’s often necessary to add customized visual information onto the tag to provide a method for discerning that tag’s serial number without using an RFID interrogator. The service for visual marking includes bar coding, color printing and laser engraving. The bar-coded data can be easily matched with any information encoded to the tag. The fixing service includes such options as a magnetic bracket or adhesive backing, enabling the tags to be easily applied directly to items. "Our new personalization services mean that integrators and customers who don’t have the equipment and resources needed to customize tags now have another option," said Hanna Kosunen, Confidex’s product line manager, in a prepared statement.
IDtronic Intros Mobile Bluetooth RFID Reader
IDTronic, an RFID hardware provider based in Germany,
has announced I-Collect, a mobile RFID interrogator with Bluetooth functionality. The device is available in two versions: I-Collect LF for reading low-frequency (LF) 125 kHz transponders, and I-Collect HF for reading high-frequency (HF) RFID 13.56 MHz tags. Designed for logistics, inventory-management, asset-tracking, security, maintenance and access-control applications, the I-Collect has an integrated 1700-mAh rechargeable battery that lasts for up to 16,000 tag readings (the reader has internal memory that can hold that many tag reads) and can be fully charged within two hours. The programmable interrogator has an integrated real-time clock for time stamps, a user interface with three buttons, and a screen for displaying a tag’s unique ID (UID) number and the time it was read. The reader also beeps whenever a successful read is completed. Data can be transferred via the integrated Bluetooth communications or via a USB port to Windows XP, Vista and Mobile applications. The USB and Bluetooth interfaces also allow for communication with a variety of devices, such as PDAs, smart phones, laptop computers or tablet PCs. The I-Collect comes with demo software and eight standard applications, and the software menu is available in six languages.
UPM Raflatac, Hansaprint to Offer Online NFC Printing Service
RFID tag manufacturer UPM Raflatac has partnered with Hansaprint, a Finnish company specializing in printing and logistics services and E-media solutions. The duo plan to offer a solution that will provide companies with the ability to create and procure low or high volumes of customized Near Field Communication (NFC) tags and labels via an online service. The service will leverage UMP Raflatac’s tags and inlays, as well as Hansaprint’s digital printing techniques.
Bouygues Telecom Gives Boost to NFC Startup Twinlinx
Bouygues Telecom Initiatives has announced it will provide financial backing, office space and other resources to Twinlinx, a French startup firm focusing on Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tag development. Bouygues Telecom Initiatives, a venture of French mobile operator Bouygues Telecom, is designed to help selected startups bring their technology to market. Twinlinx has developed the MyMax sticker, a thin electronic sticker that can add NFC communication capability to Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. The MyMax employs Bluetooth communication to connect to the phone, and has an internal rechargeable battery so it won’t drain the phone’s battery. Depending on the mode of operation chosen, the MyMax can operate as a multi-chip contactless card, as a communication mechanism between itself and the mobile phone, and as a contactless interrogator that can read external NFC RFID cards and tags, and either store received data in its flash memory or transmit it to the phone through a Bluetooth interface. It can also communicate with another My-Max sticker. Bouygues Telecom has been involved in developing and promoting NFC. The company is partnering with Carrefour and other retailers, as well as financial services firms and other cellular carriers, on a large-scale pilot slated for year’s end. The pilot will enable consumers with cell phone accounts from the carriers to utilize their mobile phones to pay for purchases in the retailers’ stores, as well as to receive and redeem mobile coupons, and to replace their existing store cards with virtual loyalty cards running on their phones (see Moversa Debuts Universal NFC Chip).
TagStone, NoFilis To Bring RFID, Supply Chain Expertise to Middle East
TagStone, an RFID consultancy based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has announced that it has partnered with RFID software company NoFilis. Among NoFilis’ product portfolio is its CrossTalk software, designed to format data collected via RFID for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other back-end systems. CrossTalk can be run on small devices like RFID readers and "out-of-the box" appliances, as well as in clustered data-center environments. The software can be distributed across geographically separate networks with ease, NoFilis reports. "Our partnership with noFilis will allow us to leverage their expertise in the supply chain and logistics sector to offer a cost-effective management solution," said Mike Meranda, TagStone’s CEO, in a prepared statement. For NoFilis’ part, the company indicates its partnership with TagStone will provide it with an opportunity to bring its software and expertise to the Middle East region (see Middle Easterners Imagine RFID’s Power and Possibilities).
Visonic Technologies Adds 433 MHz RFID Reader to Portfolio
Visonic Technologies (VT), a supplier of active RFID and real-time location systems (RTLS), has announced the availability of its new Elpas2 433 MHz RFID interrogator. The device is designed to read and relay location and status data from the company’s Elpas 433 MHz active RFID tags for assets, personnel or infant protection. The reader, which will be marketed through VT’s worldwide network of qualified partners, also supports XML messaging for integration with third-party applications.
