Japanese telco uses RFID loyalty?App is claimed to unify schemes in one wallet??
Japanese telco NTT Communications has begun trials of new technology that it says can unite all a user’s loyalty cards onto one wallet held on their mobile phone.??
The Gyazapo (“Gather Points”) technology utilises a Java applet and can be used in phones that feature Sony’s Felica short-range RFID technology, which is supported by most mobiles in the Japanese market. The system aims to take all a person’s loyalty cards different retailers and hold them in one RFID contactless chip inside their phone.
NTT says the system will simplify point collecting for consumers in Japan, where loyalty schemes are hugely popular with people often having a range of reward cards in their wallets. From the retailers’ perspective it will save them the cost of printing physical cards.
Trials began in late February at major Japanese electronics retailer Bic Camera, with further trials at two other retailers planned over the next four months. Users have to register their loyalty card number to the Gyazapo application, which can be done at the participating store’s service counter. When making a purchase they start the application and position their mobile near to a reader/writer at the POS.
In the trial, the technology will not be integrated into the POS system so a barcode representing the loyalty card number is displayed on a small e-paper display. This barcode is scanned in the same way as a normal plastic card. NTT says this non-automated step enables Gyazapo to be used with existing loyalty systems.
NTT software manages the data on the mobile, acting as a gateway between the retailer and the customer information. It is claimed to do this securely and without allowing stores to access data from other retailers, which NTT says will be a big draw for people to use the scheme.