Logo of AirTag
AirTag was a French startup that was acquired by Morpho, at the time a Safran subsidiary, in 2015.[ 1] [ 2] It was a mobile shopping and payments provider.[ 3] [ 4]
History
Airtag was founded in 2006 by Jérémie Leroyer. As of late 2012, investors had provided €6 million in seed capital, [ 5] following a second-round in 2011 when it secured €4 million.[ 6]
In October 2008, AirTag launched what it called the first NFC software development kit (SDK). It included an NFC reader and four types of NFC tags.[ 7] [ 8] In 2012, the company launched another SDK. This one included hardware for smartphone-based payments.[ 9]
In 2009, AirTag and its partner Netsize launched Airtag Pad , an in-store terminal for clients to check their loyalty points, ask about tailored products, etc. Reebok hired it for its line of Go Sport stores.[ 10]
Nokia C7, the world's first smartphone with an NFC chip, was able to pick up loyalty points and discount coupons on the phone, through a partnership with AirTag.[ 11]
AirTag built McDonald's France smartphone app GoMcDo [ 12] which was one of the first to integrate with Apple's Passbook soon after the latter's initial launch with iOS 6 in 2012.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
In 2012, Carrefour's mobile app for near-field communication (NFC) purchasing was built by AirTag.[ 16] In 2013, French newspaper L'Express ranked AirTag among the top 30 French internet startups.[ 17] That same spring, AirTag launched KFC’s first mobile wallet to order and pay via smartphone;[ 18] three months later, 90% of those installing the app where placing orders through it.[ 19] Late that year, AirTag admitted it was not profitable.[ 5]
In 2014, the company had 50 employees when it launched mobile commerce applications for Dia France[ 20] [ 21] [ 22] and for Brioche Dorée.[ 23]
Criticism
Whereas AirTag said it launched the first NFC SDK in late 2008, industry magazine RFID Update said at the time that there were pre-existing SDK's from Nokia and from Alvin Systems.[ 7]
References
↑ "Safran: Morpho a finalisé l'acquisition d'AirTag." (in fr). L'Express . 8 December 2015. https://votreargent.lexpress.fr/bourse-de-paris/safran-morpho-a-finalise-l-acquisition-d-airtag_1743830.html . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Morpho, a Safran subsidiary, has completed its acquisition of AirTag, a French startup specialized in new payment solutions for mobile"
↑ "Morpho Acquires mPayment Startup AirTag" . December 10, 2015. https://findbiometrics.com/archive/morpho-mpayment-airtag-212101/ .
↑ "Is the future of mobile wallets finger-lickin’ good? KFC and Airtag think so" . April 3, 2013. https://venturebeat.com/2013/04/03/is-the-future-of-mobile-wallets-finger-lickin-good-kfc-and-airtag-think-so/ .
↑ Aroun Benhaddou (9 December 2015). "Morpho sécurise le paiement online avec Airtag" (in fr). Les Echos (France) . https://capitalfinance.lesechos.fr/deals-m-a/mid-cap/morpho-securise-le-paiement-online-avec-airtag-111183 . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Airtag designed a single-use virtual bank card to make online purchases [Airtag a conçu une carte bancaire virtuelle à usage unique pour réaliser des achats en ligne]"
↑ 5.0 5.1 Cohan, Peter. "AirTag Is French for McDonald's Mobile Commerce" . https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2012/10/01/airtag-is-french-for-mcdonalds-mobile-commerce/ .
↑ https://www.journaldunet.com/ebusiness/internet-mobile/1083260-airtag-leve-4-millions-d-euros-pour-profiter-de-l-essor-du-nfc/
↑ 7.0 7.1 "NFC Kit Launched to Spur Application Development" (in en). RFID Update (RFID Journal). 1 October 2008. https://www.rfidjournal.com/nfc-kit-launched-to-spur-application-development . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "there have been few NFC development tools released. AIRTAG claims it's kit is the first, but Nokia and Turkish firm Alvin Systems are also known to have released NFC SDKs"
↑ https://www.francemobiles.com/actualites/airtag-lance-une-solution-de-developpement-sans-contact-et-nfc-4855.html
↑ "Airtag releasing NFC mobile payments developer kit, wishes Apple would help simplify the ecosystem" . October 16, 2012. https://venturebeat.com/2012/10/16/airtag-releasing-nfc-mobile-payments-developer-kit-wishes-apple-would-help-simply-the-ecosystem/ .
↑ Levin, Marie-Juliette (1 April 2009). "Airtag Pad, nouvelle borne interactive" (in fr). eMarketing . https://www.e-marketing.fr/Marketing-Direct/Article/Airtag-Pad-nouvelle-borne-interactive-30818-1.htm . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Airtag propose un forfait à partir de 140 euros par mois pour l'ensemble de la prestation. Seule marque à avoir transformé l'essai à ce jour, Reebok, pour son concept de «shop in the shop» dans les magasins Go Sport."
↑ Morel, Claire (16 May 2011). "In partnership with Airtag, Nokia offers the first peer-to-peer loyalty card NFC on the Nokia C7" (in fr). Relation Client . https://www.relationclientmag.fr/Thematique/customer-marketing-1251/Breves/nokia-sort-premiere-carte-fidelite-nFC-son-dernier-modele-Airtag-187186.htm# . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Nokia équipe son nouveau modèle C7 d’une carte de fidélité NFC en peer-to-peer. En partenariat avec Airtag, la marque propose de cumuler des points de fidélité et de télécharger des coupons de réduction à distance, depuis le mobile"
↑ Pietri, Antoine (23 October 2013). "The new means of payment for daily transactions" (in fr). Le Nouvel Économiste . https://www.lenouveleconomiste.fr/lesdossiers/transactions-du-quotidien-les-nouveaux-moyens-de-paiement-20181/ . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Airtag a ainsi développé des solutions basées sur les smartphones, permettant de supprimer le passage en caisse. La société est notamment à l’origine du service GoMcDo"
↑ https://www.paymenteye.com/2012/10/04/mcdonalds-m-payments-app-now-integrated-with-apples-passbook/
↑ "L'app de commande McDonald's désormais disponible dans le Passbook de l'iPhone" (in fr). Internet Retailing . 4 October 2012. https://internetretailing.net/themes/themes/lapp-de-commande-mcdonalds-desormais-disponible-dans-le-passbook-de-liphone-9022 . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "l'application GoMcDo pour iOS6 est l'une des première en France à disposer de la fonctionnalité "ajouter à Passbook""
↑ "L'app de commande McDonald's désormais disponible dans le Passbook de l'iPhone" (in fr). Internet Retailing . 4 October 2012. https://internetretailing.net/themes/themes/lapp-de-commande-mcdonalds-desormais-disponible-dans-le-passbook-de-liphone-9022 . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Airtag, fournisseur de solutions de Mobile Shopping vient de rendre compatible son application de commande et de paiement développée pour McDonald's avec l'application Passbook de l'iPhone [...] l'application GoMcDo pour iOS6 est l'une des première en France à disposer de la fonctionnalité "ajouter à Passbook""
↑ "Carrefour uses NFC and QR codes to speed up grocery shopping • NFCW inc NFC World" . May 15, 2012. https://www.nfcw.com/2012/05/15/315702/carrefour-uses-nfc-and-qr-codes-to-speed-up-grocery-shopping/ .
↑ "The ranking of the companies of the future" (in fr). L'Express . 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130829105052/http://www.lexpress.fr/emploi-carriere/le-classement-des-entreprises-d-avenir_1269927.html . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "28 - AIRTAG - Informatique, télécom, internet"
↑ Dembosky, April (3 April 2013). "KFC eyes more orders with ‘mobile wallet’" (in en). Financial Times . https://www.ft.com/content/1f86c1aa-9c86-11e2-9a4b-00144feabdc0 . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Jeremie Leroyer, chief executive of Airtag, which built the app for KFC […] in the UK on Wednesday, with the goal to extend it across the country, then to the US and the rest of the world"
↑ Borison, Rebecca (20 August 2013). "KFC’s Mobile Shopping App sees 90pc of users placing orders via mobile" (in en). Mobile Commerce Daily . Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160826000530/http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/kfc-sees-90pc-of-app-users-placing-orders-via-mobile . Retrieved 25 April 2020 .
↑ Deschamps, François (27 February 2014). "Christophe Pecquerie, Airtag : "le panier moyen dans le m-commerce est supérieur de 30%"" . EcommerceMag : p. fr. https://www.ecommercemag.fr/Thematique/retail-1220/Breves/MWC-2014-Christophe-Pecquerie-Airtag-panier-moyen-dans-commerce-est-superieur-234073.htm . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Récemment, l'entreprise de près de 50 salariés fondée en 2006, a mis en place l'application m-commerce de l'enseigne de distribution Dia, sur un modèle click & collect, sa spécialité"
↑ DELSOL, EMMANUELLE (17 January 2013). "Numérique : le sans-contact, un savoir-faire français" (in fr). L'Usine nouvelle . https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/numerique-le-sans-contact-un-savoir-faire-francais.N189645 . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "Effectif 4,5 millions d'euros, 50 personnes Clients McDonald's, Casino, Carrefour City"
↑ https://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/dia-pilots-mobile-grocery-service-pickup-lockers-for-easy-shopping
↑ Tode, Chantal (8 May 2014). "Brioche Dorée goes all out on mobile wallet with ordering, payment, loyalty and couponing" . Mobile Commerce Daily . https://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/brioche-dorees-robust-mobile-wallet-includes-ordering-payment-loyalty-and-couponing . Retrieved 25 April 2020 . "The app was developed in partnership with mobile shopping solutions provider Airtag and Groupe Le Duff"
External links
- defunct - archived at archive.org