Near Field Communications Handsets and Tags, NFC Pilots and Projects

NFC causing increasing interest in mobile coupons and ticketing

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

UK-based Juniper Research released a study that predicts retailers will have issued almost 3 billion mobile coupons to customers by 2011. The study also predicts that mobile ticketing will become more popular over the next few years, with 2.6 billion tickets worth $87 billion, delivered by 2011.

The study attributed the increased interest in mobile coupons and ticketing to new NFC technologies. The technology is cheaper for vendors than using paper tickets, and mobil coupons are showing a higher conversion rate and added security.

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McDonald’s has begun offering NFC mobile coupons in restaurants across Japan, according to Mobile Commerce Daily.

Once a week McDonald’s sends registered members of its “Toku” promotional program - now numbering 18 million - a list of coupons directly to their mobile phones. Customers then have the choice of opening the coupon on the phone’s browser and presenting it to the cashier, or adding it to a contactless mobile wallet.

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New analysis from Frost & Sullivan shows that current smart card-based transit projects in growing European and world cities will lead to an 11% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in smart card shipment from 2009 to 2015.

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Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has announced that the country’s new integrated transit card system is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, according to squidcard.com.

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Netsize has released a new report finding that a majority of survey respondents would use their mobiles to buy big-ticket items.

“Unlocking the Value of Mobile Commerce” includes research on the value amounts that people are ready for and willing to pay through their mobile phone for pricey items that go beyond the usual mix of transport tickets and parking tokens, according to Netsize.

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Transport for London (TfL) is looking into new ticketing technology for London’s bus, rail, tube and river boat network, according to transportxtra.com.

Cubic Transportation, which recently signed a new three-year contract to supply all ticketing services to TfL, said it would explore newer and more convenient technology to compliment its popular Oyster cards.

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Buscor, a South Africa-based bus operator, is partnering with Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) to roll out a new contactless ticketing system in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa, according to Engineering News.

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