Cost-Effective Chip And PIN Hardware Upgrades Allow Retailers To Deliver Better, More Secure Customer Experience By Adding Contactless Payments To Existing POS Terminals

Santa Clara, CA, November 23, 2009–ViVOtech, the leader in near field communication (NFC) and contactless payment systems, and Tailwind, a leader in strategic marketing in the payments industry, have signed an agreement to develop and deploy joint solutions that will enable retailers to meet the demand for contactless payment systems. Tailwind and ViVOtech will integrate contactless payment readers into existing Chip and PIN devices using Tailwind’s patented “POS Paddle” universal Pin Pad mounting solution and ViVOtech’s best-selling ViVOpay line of contactless payment readers.

Having just invested in the mandatory upgrade to Chip & PIN, retailers are looking for ways to leverage this investment into the future by enabling them to accept contactless cards and NFC mobile phones. Tailwind’s PoS Paddle allows retailers to upgrade their existing Chip & PIN systems to accept contactless payments with minimum cost and disruption. The PoS Paddle integrates the ViVOpay contactless reader module with the Chip and PIN terminal, turning them into one single customer-facing unit and a single point of interaction. This saves valuable counter space. POS Paddle is also fitted with a key lock to restrict the removal of the PIN Pad, a requirement that is becoming standard in most EMV countries in Europe.

“Retailers want to adopt contactless technology, but they also want to make sure they can leverage their investment in Chip and PIN devices, and give their customers an ergonomic and intuitive point of interaction,” said Garry Knox, Founding Director of Tailwind. “Our partnership with ViVOtech allows us to provide retailers with the best contactless payment modules directly integrated with their existing systems in one single package.”

The ViVOpay line of contactless payment readers is the best selling line of contactless reader products worldwide. The readers have been deployed in over half a million POS locations, including several Tier 1 merchants such as major specialty retailers, fast food restaurants (QSR), movie theaters, casual dining establishments, convenience stores, gas stations, drug stores, grocery stores, and thousands of buses, taxicabs, kiosks and vending machines.

“Contactless adoption by retailers is growing worldwide. That demand comes not only from the desire to accept easy and convenient contactless cards, but also from the desire to be ready for the upcoming NFC mobile payment revolution,” said Mohammad Khan, ViVOtech president and founder. “ViVOpay readers will enable existing Chip and PIN devices to accept not only contactless and NFC mobile payments, but also to offer advanced merchant loyalty programs such as mobile promotions, vouchers and rewards.”

ViVOtech presented the Tailwind integrated POS paddle solution at the CARTES & Identification 2009 show in Paris, November 17-19.

About ViVOtech

ViVOtech (http://www.vivotech.com) is the leading end-to-end enabler of next generation mobile payments, loyalty, and marketing solutions. ViVOtech provides Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payment solutions, mobile marketing and loyalty applications software, Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure software, NFC smart posters, and contactless terminals. ViVOtech’s products are used by most prominent retailers all over the globe; the company has shipped close to 600,000 contactless and NFC point of sale terminals to more than 35 countries. In 2009, ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan North American Smart Cards Product Line Strategy of the Year Award.

About Tailwind

Tailwind is a Strategic Marketing Consultancy that specializes in helping bring new products to market. Typically working with start-ups, OEMs and organizations wanting to enter new markets or develop new products, Tailwind has over 40 years combined experience in high-tech marketing, product management and business development, with specific expertise in card payments.