11 November, 2003
category: Contactless, Education, Financial
Seahawks Fans Spend Less Time in Line and More Time Catching Live Action Using PowerPay RFID Payment Keyfob
DALLAS, TX (November 11, 2003) – Exclusive Club Seat ticket
holders at Seattle Seahawks NFL football games can now spend less
time in the concession line and more time catching the action by
paying for items with their Seattle Seahawks PowerPay(TM) token,
featuring radio frequency identification (RFID) technology from
Texas Instruments RFid Systems (TI-RFid(TM)). Introduced during
the 2003-2004 pre-season, 33 percent of the Club season ticket
holders have opted into the PowerPay program, generating an
increase in transaction frequency and revenue for the Seahawks.
Developed by SMART System Technologies, Inc. of New York, New
York, the PowerPay system allows Seattle Seahawks fans to pay for
concession items on the Club Level by simply waving a Texas
Instruments RF-enabled keyfob over a PowerPay reader at a
point-of-sale terminal. Using the PowerPay Secure Marketing
Architecture for Retail Transactions (SMART) network, payment
information is transmitted wirelessly and securely, and the
transaction is processed in seconds. PowerPay users do not have
to worry about carrying cash to the game for concessions, and can
have their purchases applied to the credit or check card of their
choice. The Seahawks are supporting the program by providing
opportunities for rewards and chances to win valuable prizes for
PowerPay users, including autographed Seahawks merchandise.
PowerPay’s SMART network allows merchants to create target groups
of consumers and communicate relevant content and offers to
individuals based on buying preferences and demographic data,
then automatically reconcile those offers at the point of sale.
“The Seahawks are committed to giving their fans the best
football experience possible, and the PowerPay solution enables
them to reward fans with faster service and free merchandise
while increasing revenues at the same time,” said Mark Johnson,
president and CEO, SMART System Technologies, Inc. “With RF
technology and PowerPay, we have created a total payment and CRM
solution for the sports and retail industries that will benefit
teams, venues, merchants and consumers.”
RF is a widely deployed, mature technology for contactless
consumer payment that benefits the merchant, the device issuer
and the consumer. In 1997 Texas Instruments launched its RF
technology for wireless payment with the introduction of the
ExxonMobil Speedpass(TM), which boasts more than 6.5 million
active users. In July 2003, TI also announced a new RF-based
payment program with American Express, called ExpressPay(TM),
which has been deployed at more than 250 merchant locations in
the Phoenix area. “We are very excited about all of the activity
around RFID,” says Johnson. “It has been accepted as a valid
payment methodology, and we have taken it to the next level by
utilizing RF technology as the gateway to our suite of products.”
For more information on wireless payment applications from Texas
Instruments RFid Systems, please visit the company’s Web site at
www.ti-rfid.com or call 1-888-937-6536 (North America) or
1-972-575-4364 (International). For more information on
PowerPay, please visit www.PowerPayIt.com or call 212-624-1640.
About Texas Instruments RFid Systems
Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification (TI-RFid(TM))
Systems is an industry leader in radio frequency identification
(RFID) technology and the world’s largest integrated manufacturer
of RFID tags, smart labels and reader systems. With 300 million
tags manufactured, TI-RFid technology is used in a broad range of
applications worldwide including access control, automotive,
document tracking, livestock, product authentication, retail,
sports timing, supply chain, ticketing and wireless payment. For
more information, contact TI-RFid at 1-888-937-6536 (North
America) or +1 972-575-4364 (International), or visit the
company’s Web site at www.ti-rfid.com.
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog
technologies to meet our customers’ real world signal processing
requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company’s
businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational &
Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and
has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25
countries. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the
World Wide Web at www.ti.com.
About SMART System Technologies, Inc.
SMART System Technologies, Inc. is the innovative leader in
e-payment and customer relationship management services to the
bricks and mortar world. The company’s PowerPay solution is an
end-to-end customer transaction management and marketing system
for merchants that offers seamlessly integrated data management
and communications tools to deliver and redeem customized offers
and promotions to targeted consumers via its SMART network. For
more information, visit www.PowerPayIt.com or call 212-286-8889.
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Contacts:
Bill Allen
Texas Instruments RFid Systems
(214) 567-2511
[email protected]
Christine Cayer
Bridgeman Communications (For TI-RFid)
(617) 742-7270
[email protected]
Mark Johnson
SMART System Technologies, Inc.
(212) 624-1640
[email protected]
