Smart card for those loyal Warrior fans

By PETER GRIFFIN IT writer

The Auckland Warriors plan to use special software this season to get closer to their biggest and most lucrative fans - season ticket holders.

Loyal fans will be issued with eftpos-like cards allowing them admission to the team's home ground, Ericsson Stadium.

The cards will also store membership details for use in promotions and direct marketing campaigns.

The customer relationship management (CRM) system was developed by Cadmus Technology, an information management company which listed on the stock exchange last November.

Cadmus is installing portable card readers at the entry gates to the stadium that will read details on ticket-holders' cards, revealing everything from how many games cardholders have attended to where they are allowed to sit in the stadium.

Ian Bailey, managing director at Cadmus, said the CRM technology was being used only by the Warriors at this stage, but could easily be designed for regular visitors to trotting clubs or theatres - wherever crowds congregated.

"The main application at the moment is for venue management, but there is huge opportunity as far as long-term ticketing arrangements are concerned."

Cadmus is gearing up to sell its technology overseas, and this month gained a toehold in the Australian market, taking a 4.5 per cent stake in the Sydney-based company Insight Technologies.

The $600,000 investment will see reciprocal distribution between Cadmus and Insight.

The Insight deal and other international distribution arrangements will be important in generating interest in Cadmus' home payment technology, which is expected to be introduced in up to 1000 New Zealand homes in the next six weeks.

The company has formed an ambitious joint venture with TrustPower called Pos Power that will allow the electricity provider's customers to have a payment terminal installed in their home for easier bill settlement.

"It's a home-based payment tool which sits in the home, connects to the electricity meter and enables payment of accounts. The security behind it is the same as an eftpos terminal. You swipe your card and enter a pin in the same way."

Mr Bailey said the terminal could just as easily be used for payment of gas or water bills. It is web-enabled, allowing users to send e-mails as well as settle accounts electronically.

While terminals will initially cost around $500 to install, that price is expected to fall as an increasing portion of TrustPower's 240,000 customers begin to use the payment method.

Cadmus believes the phone-like terminals will sell, and will not be affected by a shifting trend towards paying bills directly via the internet with the use of a credit card.

"Currently you can't use debit cards via the internet. A lot of people use debit cards to pay bills," said Mr Bailey.

"Also, only 33 per cent of New Zealanders have internet access at home. A lot of people do access the internet from work, but businesses are increasingly telling people not to tie up work resources and carry out their private business at work."

Cadmus expects to lodge an application for listing on the Australian stock exchange in the next few months.