Throughout the past few years, marketing has gone from ho-hum to fast-paced excitement. Joining in on the fun is Tagtile. Tagtile is a small plastic device that accurately records customer details while also providing consumers with various store-related rewards. Much like Square, Tagtile provides all business owners who sign up for the service with a free Tagtile plastic square.

After setting up a Tagtile square, this square can be placed on the countertop at any shop or other business. All clients have to do is tap the square with a smartphone in order to reap rewards. No more cards, logging emails, or attempting to organize a cluttered customer database. In a word, Tagtile seems effortless.

How Tagtile Works

The first tech blog to break the Tagtile news was TechCrunch, and I’m glad that they did. I got to see Square in action a week ago in New York City, and that device was impressive. I can only imagine the reception that Tagtile will receive. So, how does Tagtile work, exactly? After signing up for Tagtile (the company is currently accepting a few tester applicants), merchants will receive a small white cube in the mail.

This cube can then be plugged into a regular old outlet or attached to a PC via USB. Once set up, Tagtile will be ready to roll. As clients pay for purchased items, they can download the Tagtile app (free) to any iPhone or Android phone (Blackberry coming soon). Once downloaded, clients can tap a smartphone on the Tagtile cube, and the cube will collect customer information. Meanwhile, customers will be given a virtual rewards card, coupon, or some other customer loyalty incentive (“Buy Five Get One Free”). Every time a customer enters a Tagtile store, new rewards points can be gained by tapping the cube.

Privacy Worries

You might be wondering whether or not Tagtile is secure privacy-wise. After all, allowing a store to hook up with your smartphone data can be worrisome. However, Tagtile has assured TechCrunch, and press in general, that this system is a secure one. Store owners will only gain necessary demographic information. Any other client details must be approved before a shop owner can log these details.

Tagtile also claims that all personal information is kept safe from prying eyes. So, it seems, you have nothing to worry about if you see a Tagtile cube near you and you want to give it a try. In fact, you’ll be part of a very tuned-in crowd if you do give this new marketing toy a shot. Right now, Tagtile is available in certain states throughout the U.S. (sorry, Canada, not available yet!).

One Slight Problem – Maybe

The one thing that might be an issue for consumers is the Tagtile app. In order to sign up for a store’s Tagtile rewards program, this app must be downloaded. Unless you are reading this article before walking into a Tagtile location, you probably don’t have the free app downloaded on your phone just yet.

Sure, you can search through your app store in order to find the app mid-payment, but this is not likely. Aside from the app issue, Tagtile promises to shed a whole new light on customer loyalty programs.