Got time for a drink?

Hey, the year is 2006 - even the quick swipe of a card with a magnetic strip is destined to be outdated. In its place, a consumer will wave a plastic card or a key chain fob over a receiver to complete a "contactless" purchase, a system predicted to take over the world of retail sales.

Over at the Smoothie King, where their entire business consists of selling fruit drinks, I suppose you're always looking for something to differentiate the business.

Here’s an interesting case study which examines the Smoothie King as well as evolving trends in contactless payment.

Enter a Smoothie King store and you will see not only machines whirring away to prepare the fruit smoothie drinks for which the operation is known, but increasingly, you’ll also see customers paying for their purchases with key chain fobs rather than cash or credit cards. That’s because earlier this year, Smoothie King, which has more than 400 stores in 44 states, became one of the first retailers of its kind to roll out an RFID-based prepaid spending and gift card program.