Tag: nfc technology

Is a mobile loyalty campaign right for every business…

Mobile loyalty programs are becoming increasingly popular among smartphone users, and retailers, restaurant owners, and other merchants are starting to recognize the size of the potential that they hold. However, all loyalty programs are not created equal over the mobile channel, so it is important to know how to evaluate one for its efficacy.

Use the following questions to help to decide whether or not a mobile loyalty campaign has the best chances of success:

• Is the program transactional? Even though it is being used through a new technology and channel, the basic rules of loyalty programs remain the same. If it has been properly designed, then it should provide customers with rewards based on their purchases on an individual transaction basis.
• Is there compatibility between the plug-and-play and the current POS environment? In order to for it to work properly, this solution has to be able to send the transactional data directly from the POS at the time of the sale, in real time, or following the purchase in batch processing reports.
• Does it provide adequate security? Though loyalty programs based on plastic cards are on their way out, what consumers do like about them – and what is causing them to cling to them – is the fact that they are highly secure both for reward redemption and throughout the accumulation of benefits.
• Has it been proven to work? This may be a new channel, but you want a program that has already proven itself to work and won’t put off customers with its complications, crashes, bugs, problems, and unpredictable results.

 Mobile loyalty campaign best practices

Though mobile loyalty programs may still be in the emerging phase, professionals in the industry are already suggesting the best practices for their development and use in a campaign. There are some recommendations that professionals are making that will help to define whose campaigns, as a whole, will and will not become successful.

With the speed of today’s technology, the choices that are being made for loyalty programs must not only cater to today’s consumers and devices, but also the trends that are soon to arrive.

Mobile marketing experts are making these recommendations…

1. It is vital to include the use of mobile devices in any loyalty program, and the transition into that space should begin now.
2. Mobile loyalty programs must have a transaction-based element in order to ensure long-term viability.
3. Choosing the ideal platform for transaction-based loyalty programs will require companies to examine the way in which that platform will be able to access the existing point of sale’s transactional data. The cost of achieving this goal must also be evaluated.
4. Eventually, mobile loyalty using near field communication (NFC) technology will surpass and then replace all other mobile loyalty offerings that are currently available. The solution that is chosen today must be designed in a way that it will transition seamlessly into the use of NFC.

HID Global aims to make NFC technology more secure through new service

HID Global, a leading manufacturer of secure identity solutions, has announced the launch of a new cloud-based platform that will add more security to NFC tags and other services based on the technology. HID Global believes that the new security platform will eliminate some of the risks inherent in using NFC technology and make it more attractive for companies interested in things like mobile commerce and marketing. It will also provide another layer of security for the transfer of digital information, such as documents and other important data.

NFC receives criticism for lackluster security

NFC technology is popular in both mobile commerce and mobile marketing because of its ability to engage consumers in a dynamic way. In commerce, NFC serves as a platform for transactions being made through a mobile device, such as a smart phone. The technology is capable of turning these devices into mobile payments platforms. Despite the popularity of NFC technology, it has managed to attract criticism for its lackluster security features. Because the technology is beginning to play a bigger role in society, HID Global is looking to help solve some of the security problems inherent with NFC technology.

New services provides authentication and identity certification to NFC tags

The new service from HID Global will help ensure that NFC tags are safe and free of exploitation. This will be done through the attribution of an authentication transaction environment. This allows for the system to distribute and maintain identity certificates for the NFC tags it accounts for, thus ensuring the integrity of these tags. HID Global will be able to determine whether or not the tags associated with the system have been compromised and determine how they were exploited.

Security continues to be a major concern in mobile commerce

NFC technology has garnered a great deal of attention for its abilities to engage consumers in a new way. The adoption of the technology has, however, been impeded by security concerns. In mobile commerce, a shortfall in the security of NFC technology could mean that a consumer’s financial information could be at risk of theft and exploitation. These concerns have served to slow the progress of the mobile commerce industry significantly.