NTT Communications has begun trials of a high-tech alternative to loyalty cards that promises to simplify their use.
Loyalty cards are big business and are often handed out to customers when they have made a purchase. Consequently, people end up with wallets stuffed with too many cards.
When cell phone carriers began rolling out electronic wallet services a few years ago some retailers offered shoppers the ability to keep their points in a Java applet inside their phones rather than a physical card. But this too has led to clutter in the form of a phone full of applications, one for each store.
The NTT technology, called “Gyazapo,” hopes to simplify this by bringing together loyalty cards in one application. It too is a Java applet and can be used in phones that also include short-range RFID technology. Most current phones support the technology.
Trials began this week at major Japanese electronics retailer Bic Camera and will also be tried over the next few months at two other retailers.
