Ladislav Poledna

Most likely you have heard someone use the term “Near Field Communication”, or “NFC” in short, already. Very probably the mobile phone you are reading this article on has an NFC chip inside. NFC is an increasingly useful feature on mobile phones﹣a connectivity enabler. Back in the early 2000s, Nokia, Sony, and Philips established a standard for this technology based on radio frequency identification technology known as RFID. The RFID has been used for identification, authentication, and tracking using radio waves. You may have one of those identification badges to access your office. But you definitely know the electronic tags on products in retail stores. Those electronic (also called RFID) tags are another application of inductive coupling. The same inductiveContinue Reading

The German FlixMobility is a rapidly growing technology company that has become a leading European mobility platform. It enables people to get from A to B comfortably, quickly, and affordably by green FlixBus long-distance buses. Everyone probably knows them by now. They basically changed the way millions of people travel in Europe in less than seven years. They launched FlixTrain in 2018 expanding the Flix network into the long-distance railway services in Germany. And FlixCar came this year. It is a carpooling platform connecting French drivers with passengers who want to reach the same destination. But what you maybe don’t know is that FlixMobility doesn’t own any buses or trains, and doesn’t employ any drivers. FlixMobility runs its services inContinue Reading

Oliver Cromwell, one of the most controversial figures in British history, lived in the 1600s. Until the present time, he is called a dictator by some, and a hero by others. He said once: “He who stops being better stops being good.” I truly believe that in today’s fast-changing world, learning new things has to be seen as something that never stops. Like when sailing against the wind. If you are not good enough in how to go forward, you will suddenly find yourself going backward. Tomorrow, Czechs and Slovaks will commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. In 1989, a brutally suppressed student demonstration sparked popular street protests against the communist rule resulting eventually in the ending ofContinue Reading

You run your pharmacy or a health care centre. You might already know that establishing a loyalty program is an effective way to attract people. And you might even know that a loyalty program also encourages additional spending. But you keep repeating to yourself: There is no way of implementing such a thing with my independent pharmacy, or my health care centre. Pharmacists are in the first line in front of patients. I believe that pharmacist’s professional advice makes patients – customers – really attached. Loyal patients are your best advocates and this word-of-mouth marketing is very valuable. Still, a pharmacy or a health care centre of any size could also offer attractive rewards to people. Multiple pieces of researchContinue Reading

The iconic Wembley Stadium, the largest stadium in the UK and the second-largest stadium in Europe with 90,000 seats, launched its contactless mobile-only ticketing innovation about two years ago. The mobile ticket technology allows fans to seamlessly and securely enter live events with contactless tickets added to their mobile wallets such as Apple Wallet or Google Pay. What are you waiting for? Mobile Event TicketsThe integration of entry tickets with mobile wallets simplifies customers’ experience while enhancing security and fostering more personalized engagement. The mobile wallet technology makes physical tickets outdated, unnecessary, and boring. There is also no need for print-at-home tickets anymore. Let your customers enter a basic set of information. And later, surprise them with a useful andContinue Reading

Many businesses have looked at last year’s holiday trends to understand how to plan this year’s holiday campaigns. But I believe that looking to the past will not be enough anymore. The upcoming holiday season will look a little different this year. So today, let’s look at how start-ups and small businesses can use mobile marketing to engage with and inspire their customers. As you are preparing for your 2020 holiday campaigns, would you still think mobile is not crucial to your success? Let me throw a few figures from the Adobe’s 2019 Holiday Recap to illustrate the reality. In 2019, mobile phones accounted for more than 80 percent of the holiday season’s e-commerce growth. And almost 70 percent ofContinue Reading

While the whole mobile marketing is relatively new, the idea of a mobile wallet as a marketing and loyalty platform is even newer. And there are some misconceptions out there about it. Here are a few myths that you might have heard. So let’s shed some light on them. People Don’t Use Mobile WalletThis has become less and less true by every month. Mobile wallet transactions continue adding up globally year over year and are forecasted to continue growing. Mobile wallets provide more security for people and offer a variety of extra services beyond POS, or point-of-sale, payments. People already know what this is and why should they use it. And not just Millennials. Apple and Google launched its mobileContinue Reading

Europe leads the contactless payments adoption. You can pay contactless across all European Union nowadays. This however still varies greatly per member state. On average, contactless payments makeup half of all payment transactions made at points of sale and continue to grow. In Czechia for instance, the share of contactless payments is reaching more than 90 percent. That all demonstrates European consumers’ enthusiasm to embrace new technologies. People look for speedy and convenient payments they can trust. In addition to ease of use and convenience, people also benefit from the added security and protection. Mobile PaymentsRetail stores accept contactless payments through NFC terminals. NFC, or Near Field Communication, is a short-range wireless communication technology based on a radio frequency field.Continue Reading

Business cards have been around for five centuries and still matter. The small pieces of paper are still used by many people today for a reason. Business cards are an effective form of direct marketing and a valuable networking tool. They provide a quick way to share contact information and give people the ability to follow up. Business cards communicate who you are. They are a direct representation of you and your business. This is actually where the branding of your business starts. You know your brand is not what you say you are, right? It is what impression people get after interacting with you or your business. So you might want to consider carefully what message you want toContinue Reading

The way we pay for food and beverages is changing. Many people don’t bring wallets out with them anymore. But they always bring their phones. Cafés and restaurants are adopting mobile payments. People are more and more comfortable with paying by mobile phones or even watches at the table or counter, with online ordering as well as paying on the go before visiting your place. The Ultimate QuestionWhat’s a mobile wallet? Yep, that’s the right question. The mobile wallet is an app that securely stores your payment details. Once people store information in the app, they can tap the payment terminal the same way they would do with a plastic card. The technology behind mobile payments is the one behindContinue Reading