Brouha Uses RFID to Measure Loyalty

"The phone is a really good way to have a more one-on-one relationship between us and people who come to the café," says Esther Bell, The West Brooklyn's owner. "That's what was interesting to me. My customers are delighted by it. Either they're fascinated about the new technology, or they just really like getting offers and other information automatically right when they walk in. It feels more special to them."

Initially, Mee says, the hardware may be offered free of charge to stores participating in the neighborhood program, while they try out the technology. Typically, Brouha intends to lease the hardware to each store, which will be billed as part of the software service (usually between $100 and $200 per month). The software service consists of server access to customer data, if so requested, as well as the ability for the store to send reward messages to customers. Additionally, Brouha can provide reports to the stores, indicating, for example, the amount of traffic entering a particular shop at specific times, based on reads of cards carried by patrons, as well as how often each person visits, and when.

In addition, Brouha has been speaking with conference managers about the possibility of using the technology at conferences. In this case, event attendees could be provided with Brouha cards, and readers could be set up at some event booths, enabling the companies exhibiting at those booths to send information to visitors' phones, based on the booths they enter. This could include promotional materials about the company, or perhaps a demonstration sent to those who pass a booth but do not necessarily stop. The system could also be utilized by hotels, Mee says, enabling hotel management to identify when a specific guest is arriving, and potentially sending information to his or her phone, such as a room assignment, a list of spa services, a restaurant reservation or happy-hour information.

In the future, Mee reports, Brouha hopes to offer the RFID tag in the form of a key fob, as well as the card. However, the company does not immediately plan to include any point-of-sale functionality, he says, noting, "We wanted to keep it simple."