Posts tagged innovation
AIRTAG McDonald’s collaboration GoMcDo, takes home Award
Nov 16th
The yearly held MAPIC awards seek to pay tribute to “excellence, innovation and creativity” in retail. The 2012 MAPIC awards winners were announced on November 15 at the Martinez Hotel in
Cannes and we are very happy to announce that our partner McDonald’s has succeeded to win for “Best Multi-Channel Strategy,” category with the GoMcDo solution. AIRTAG has been working together with McDonald’s on the GoMcDo project since 2010. The GoMcDo service now live in 55 restaurants, enables shoppers to order and pay in advance for their favorite products. The solution includes; a mobile application, online web service and the NFC compatible “easy check in.” When customers get to the restaurant, they just scan their Smartphone or type in their order number on the “Easy Check-In” Kiosk to instantly re-call the order. GoMcDo users then they get to #skiptheline to pick up the order. GoMcDo was the first brand app in France and is revolutionizing the ordering experience in fast food retail. The continued innovation of GoMcDo advanced features including geolocation, an in-app player to watch feature film trailers and most recently Passbook integration, continue to McDonald’s leading the way for innovation.
Way to go GoMcDo!
Learn more about GoMcDo advanced features
Learn more about the MAPIC awards
AIRTAG thoughts on the benefits of online NFC payments
Nov 14th
A recent statement that caught the AIRTAG teams attention was MasterCard’s announcement last week of a new partnership with ING to offer online payments as part of the PayPass based platform 
in the Netherlands. PayPass more than a service but a platform, includes an online payment system, branded services and an API giving developers a tool to integrate PayPass into many different systems. MasterCard’s and ING’s PayPass online payments will offer shoppers enhanced security, the ability to apply coupons and vouchers to their purchases and receive digital receipts. According to a new study by AOL and BBDO 40% of purchases from Smartphone devices occur from home, the couch or anywhere else. Now MasterCard will offer those shoppers an even easier way to pay from anywhere. With PayPass online payments, there are two possible Customer Journeys;
Customer Journey #1: Merchandise selected, Payment method selected, Shipping details are entered and Pin is entered (The phone will supply EMV compliant cryptogram to communicate directly with the retailers payment terminal)
Customer Journey # 2: Shopping is started on a tablet, Products selected, Billing information entered, QR Code is sent. The user would then tap their Smartphone on the tablet to make the payment, connecting the PayPass app directly with the merchants shopping cart
This new pilot is part of MasterCard’s initiative to offer “converged payments experiences, in-store, online or a mobile device.” (MasterCard Press Release) With the approach of the holidays consumers now more than ever are mobile shopping and showrooming for convenience and to maximize savings. It’s great to see MasterCard proactively responding to consumer behavior changes by offering easier ways to pay when Mobile Shopping both in-store or anywhere else.
AIRTAG is happy to announce the launch of the AIRTAG Kit.
Oct 18th
AIRTAG is very excited to have announced yesterday, the launch of the AIRTAG Kit; a set of smart tools designed to make the deployment of NFC Mobile Payment applications easier and more accessible than ever. We have been working together with MasterCard for more than a year with a goal of providing something truly relevant and useful in today’s Mobile Payment marketplace. The AIRTAG Kit, is meant to be used alongside MasterCard’s recently released Mobile User Interface Software Development Kit (MMPP UI SDK), and together they are the best way to develop your Mobile PayPass™ app.
What exactly is in the AIRTAG Kit?
The Kit includes, the latest generation NFC Samsung Galaxy S3 with 3 pre-installed white label apps including a wallet, a USB Contactless Card Reader, 5 UICC samples, 2 demo tags, and a 1 year membership to the Developer Program.
Tell me more about the Developer Program?
First, let’s take a minute to introduce the AIRTAG team. The technical geniuses behind the operations at AIRTAG HQ includes 50+ experts in NFC, mobile app development, mobile marketing and mobile engineering. They develop Mobile applications, online platforms and NFC in-store readers and devices for brands like McDonald’s, MasterCard, Carrefour, Reebok, Dior, Casino, G20, Orange, NRJ Mobile and many others. A team with more than 6 years of experience. They are as expert in the field as it gets.
Through the Developer Program included in the AIRTAG Kit, you will have the ability to ask our own AIRTAG developers your additional questions in the AIRTAG Kit forum and get support for issues you may have with the UI SDK or the AIRTAG Kit. The Developer Program also provides additional resources; user guides for the MMPP UI SDK and the AIRTAG Kit, tutorials, manuals, payment scheme support and support for additional Smartphone platforms as they become available. These resources provided in the Developer Program are used by our own AIRTAG developers to build mobile payment apps. Where else would you be able to get ongoing support from a group of NFC Mobile Payment experts at such a low cost?
AIRTAG’s CEO and Co-founder Jérémie Leroyer had a few words to share with Venture Beat’s journalist John Koetsier, on the AIRTAG Kit and our ongoing partnership with MasterCard. “The Airtag kit is the second part of our partnership with MasterCard, and contains all of the hardware and software needed to build and test PayPass apps, including resources for the developer community.”
The AIRTAG team would be very happy to answer any additional questions that you may have, so please get in touch, by visiting www.airtagkit.com or by following us on Twitter: @airtag
Learn more about MasterCard’s Mobile UI SDK
What is Possible with Mobile Shopping: Some Words from Zipcar’s CEO
Oct 11th
The Mobile is undoubtedly becoming the preferred method for purchasing. In fact, almost half of the US population shopped by Mobile Phone in June. And according 
to Juniper research that number is set to only increase by about 50% in the next two years. An expected 580 million people will be shopping by Mobile phone by 2014 with mobile transactions are expected to total more than 730 billion by 2017; a 25% yearly increase from now until then.
These type of facts are proof that we are seeing a revolution in the way that people find, order and pay for products & services. As we witness the shift to the era of the Mobile Shopper, more companies are securing their mobile first strategy. Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith inspires us with his comment at this year’s Mobilecon about the changes in consumer behavior the company has seen in the last eighteen months from, internet to mainly mobile use.
“Consumers want mobile applications, they want social media as part of their experience,” something the company has been tapping into for the last year.
Griffith is focused on the capability the mobile has, which a computer simply does not, “the ability to reach customers whenever and wherever.” That possibility alone has led the company to plan on intensely moving towards a fully Mobile Zipcar experience. Zipcar future innovations will move beyond just the ability to reserve, and use the mobile to unlock and start a Zipcar, to a completely enhanced in-car driving experience. The Mobile device will become an ‘in car assistant’ to help navigate, plan an itinerary, build an iTunes playlist and provide information about the car.
Griffith’s insights feed into the AIRTAG vision of “Mobile possibilities,” a possibility which is backed by concrete facts of the steady inclination of Mobile Shoppers. The last months at AIRTAG have seen our innovations direct much of a focus on the idea of the “anytime and anywhere,” user experience. Our Mobile solutions, for partners like McDonald’s and Carrefour have been about disrupting the traditional shopping experience so users are able to do everyday things, at their own discretion, from when and where they want.
Obviously penetration in the retail environment is a longer process then let’s say for a platform like Zipcar; which has only ever entailed online use. But, it is clear that more people are Shopping by Mobile because it proves to be quite simply; easier and better. Between now and 2014, we at AIRTAG look forward to continually bringing new innovations to our solutions and exploring all of the possible in Mobile Shopping.
Learn more about AIRTAG’s Mobile Shopping Solutions
Relevant and Innovative: PayPal announces new POS solutions
May 31st
Last month PayPal unveiled its PayPal Payment solution which allows retailers to provide online and offline payments with a PayPal compatible POS system. Among the brands that will feature this service are: Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aéropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot Locker, Guitar Center, Jamba Juice, JC Penney, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Nine West, Office Depot, Rooms To Go, Tiger Direct and Toys “R” Us. The large variety of brands adopting this technology emphasizes that in-store solutions are for retailers of all products and sizes.
PayPal’s solution ensures retailers do not need to install any complicated equipment, instead because PayPal has signed contracts with POS manufacturers Ingenico and more recently a contract signed with both VeriFone and Equinox, “the number one and number three point-of-sale terminal manufacturers in the world,” (David Marcus, President of PayPal writes on the company blog) ensures the technology is already integrated by the POS manufacturer.
PayPal emphasizes the need for retailers to engage with their customers at every point in the journey, or risk becoming irrelevant. The features of PayPal’s solution are that it provides customers with a better shopping experience, extends loyalty programs and allows retailers to engage and connect with clients on multiple channels.
“PayPal’s offline solutions are much more than just a way to pay. We’re helping merchants connect with consumers at every stage in the shopping cycle. Before they come into the store, while they’re in the store, or even after they’ve left. We’re able to drive consumers through a retailer’s doors with relevant offers, coupons and discounts, then maintain a relationship with that consumer that keeps bringing them back to the retailer, in store or online.” (David Marcus, PayPal Blog)
Read more about the features of the PayPal offline/POS solution
Read more about Mobile Shopping Solutions
Samsung prepares for NFC with Samsung Galaxy III, Google Wallet being rethought
May 29th
The shortcomings of the Google Wallet have been a recent discussion topic of bloggers and other publications and according to Bloomberg, Google is now reconsidering its Wallet strategy. 
The adoption of the Google Wallet system has been less than expected and now Google may be considering using an incentive to entice carriers to adopt the Google Wallet. This strategy could even include perks such as the sharing of Google Wallets revenue’s with telecom providers in the hopes of increasing the implementation of the service. (Engadget)
According to Bloomberg, Google is also considering moving towards the adoption of in store terminals, a feature of NFC payments that other E-Wallet providers have been working on since the get go.
But, while Google considers its strategy of approach for NFC payments, more cell phone manufacturers such as electronic giant Samsung are making the preparations for NFC payment technology with their own systems in mind. Samsung recently confirmed that the next flagship phone, the Galaxy S III will contain an embedded chip to support NFC payments.
The features of the Galaxy S III include; enhanced security features and both proximity and online payment systems, which could all be part of Samsung’s own Wallet strategy.
The system would likely support the already established NFC payment systems such as Visa’s V.me and the MasterCard PayPass, according to NFC Times.
Although the Galaxy III will contain an NFC chip, whether the embedded chip will be activated or not is still in question. In markets such as the US, the telecom providers may have the final say as to whether or not the feature will be enabled for use.
Samsung’s progress raises the discussion of whether other mobile manufacturers will adopt their own Wallet systems for NFC payments, perhaps in a way that can be better integrated with other existing NFC payment technology.
Read the Full Press Release from Samsung about the features of the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Read more about Bloombergs comments on the Google Wallet
Carrefour City launches mobile shopping service with NFC solution, ‘Mon Panier’.
May 18th
Carrefour City has launched a mobile shopping service ‘Mon Panier’ that is based on the retail NFC solution, Airshop by Airtag. 
This service is up and running at the St. Lazarre Carrefour City location in Paris, the first of several stores to be equipped with the ‘Mon Panier’ retail NFC solution, in the next few weeks.
‘Mon Panier’ offers ample convenience’s for Carrefour City’s customers, who can now place an order and pay for purchases from the convenience of a Smartphone.
All you need to do is:
- Place the order from your Smartphone
- Within two hours the Carrefour City staff will have prepared the order
- Upon store arrival, just go to the ‘Mon Panier’ kiosk to identify yourself by either tapping your NFC mobile device to the kiosk screen with a built in NFC reader, or by placing the phone beneath the QR code reader on the bottom right of the kiosk
In addition, the ‘Mon Panier’ service, has no minimum purchase amount and no delivery or pick-up fees! It is a 100% free service!
Read more about the Carrefour City ‘Mon Panier’ shopping service.
Payer en magasin avec votre profil facebook via votre Smartphone
Jan 21st
Voici une innovation intéressante qui permet de créer un lien entre votre profil Facebook et un compte prépayé (ici,Facebook credit) afin de payer en réalisant un check-in en magasin.
Nice devient le premier théâtre de l’innovation NFC avec le lancement de « Nice ville sans contact »
May 28th
Le 21 Mai 2010, débute la première expérimentation des mobiles NFC grandeur nature à Nice. Grâce aux mobiles dotés d’une puce NFC et au service « Citizy », les utilisateurs vont pouvoir régler leurs achats dans des commerces de proximité sans sortir de monnaie, valider leur titre de transport et consulter des informations aux arrêts de bus et de tram par simple tag, ainsi que dans des musées et dématérialiser leurs cartes de fidélité sur leur mobile NFC.
Le lancement a eu lieu au cœur de Nice en présence de Christian Estrosi Ministre chargé de l’Industrie. More >
L’arlésienne du paiment par téléphone mobile
Mar 17th
Aujourd’hui dans Les Echos, une vision critique mais réaliste des difficultés de déploiement du NFC en France …