Maketing-Auto

In a recent blog posting at barcode.com, which you can check out here, they talked about an interesting new iPhone app from Cardstar, which allows consumers to store all their loyalty cards etc. on their iPhone and access them as needed when shopping at a retailer.

I love the idea but know that there are some limitations around which retailers can scan anything, including coupons, loyalty cards etc., off a mobile phone. This will be the standard, as it is in Japan and increasingly in the UK and rest of Europe, for consumers who want to access all content, including their wallets and payment vehicles, from their mobile phone. However, right now, the U.S. retail infrastructure is in desperate need of an upgrade, especially the laser scanners (peripherals), which right now can’t scan mobile phones. Combine the large capital expenditure cost for retailers with sluggish sales and a weak economy, it’s unlikely that these infrastructure improvements will happen over night.

The good news is that this type of mobile phone usage is part of a growing wave of companies and iphone app developers who are starting to see value in leveraging the mobile phone for all things content related. As this gains momentum with consumers, retailers will be forced to invest in new hardware to keep up.