Japanese Consumers Can Use RFID to Help them Remember Store Details       

When it comes to embracing new mobile technologies, Japanese consumers have long seemed one step ahead of those in Europe and the United States. For instance, Japanese consumers can use their handsets to pay for nearly anything, such as movie tickets or transit tickets.

A large wireless operator even teamed up to design a system that allows Japanese consumers to use their phones to “bookmark” retail stores they’d like to know more about.

A customer walks by, sees a store and then wants to record the store’s opening hours, address and telephone number, much like bookmarking a Web page on the Internet.

To do this, the consumer waves his RFID-enabled phone near a reader device installed at the store, and the information is transferred and stored on the phone for future reference.

In addition, stores can save information on the consumers who participate voluntarily and then send them offers, such as notifications of sales and specials.