Staying Connected with Customers using Geo-tagging with iVend Passes

This article contains information specifically related to the Geo Tagging functionality in iVend Digital Passes with its usage in iVend Retail POS. Digital Passes integration is available for iOS and Android based devices.

iVend Passes helps retailers to stay connected with their customers. Build your pass template for your targeted customer base, create a pass at the Point of Sale (POS terminal) and send Passes to all your customers without the hassle of a custom mobile application.

To use the Geo Tagging functionality, the user must have an internet capable mobile device such as an Apple's iPhone or an Android based device. Geo tagging has seen a surge in popularity and with the ability to quickly add GPS information to media, smartphones makes geo tagging a simple task.

In order to use the Geo tagging in the passbook functionality, the user or customer will be issued with secure user credentials from CitiXsys that will allow them access to the Passbook portal. In the passbook functionality, users will be provided with three sample templates from iVend, these are as follows:

1. Gift Card

2. Coupon

3. Loyalty Card

Sample templates can be used by the user and the customer for their operations. Users can also create new templates and Edit the existing templates other than the system templates provided when the log into the Passbook portal.

Note: Pass book functionality has been designed especially for the iOS and Android devices.

Note: Users have to install at least iVend Retail POS version 5.7 and above before they can use the Passes Geo Tagging functionality.

To use the Passbook integration and avail themselves of the Geo Tagging functionality within iVend, the user has to first log into the iVend Management Console and navigate to: Administration > System Initialization > Communication Settings – the Communication Settings screen pops up. Put a tick against the “Is Passbook Integrated” checkbox.

Figure 1 – Communication Settings

Geo tagging is directly related to the geographic location tagging wherein the user must configure the store locations in the configuration window. It will directly benefit the end customers of the retailer (i.e. The Pass holder), so that whenever they pass near by the store defined in the Geo Tagging setting on the pass, they will receive an alert on their iOS or Android based device.

Figure 2 – iVend Passes Home Page

Figure 3 – iVend Passes Login Page

The Administrator user must specify the user credentials to log into the Passes webpage in order to configure the locations for Tagging.

Setting up Locations in Passbook for Geo Tagging:

Any number of stores can be defined as locations in the Pass for Geo Tagging, which will automatically generate an alert whenever the Pass holder (i.e. the retailers end customer) travels through or near the locations as defined by the distance configured from the stores.

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Figure 4 – iVend Passes Template Page

After adding the locations to the Pass, the user can view the list of locations as we see in the screen image above – See the location for Rockefeller Plaza, New York highlighted.

Note: The location is set in meters from the store and in this example, we have set it to be 1000. Every time the customer comes within 1000 meters of the store defined here, they will receive an alert for this Pass if they have added to their iPhone wallet or Android iVend Passes app.

This concludes the document on - Geo-tagging with iVend Passes.