AdForce LLC, CMGI‘s ad serving
company, inked a deal on Monday with Hypercom Corp., which
will bring AdForce-served ads to 20 million point-of-sale terminals.
This network, which Hypercom Corp.
calls ePic, consists of browser-equipped touch-screen terminals, which are
operated by the consumer, and can connect to the Internet and deliver
Internet-enabled applications at the point-of-sale. The ePic servers allow
for e-commerce, e-mail, electronic receipt capture and Internet-based ads
and coupons. They also accept credit, debit, and e-cash transactions.
Point-of-sale terminals, along with wireless, interactive TV, and other
devices like ATMs and gas pumps, are the latest frontiers in the online
advertising business. Accordingly, companies like AdForce have been forging
partnerships and developing technology designed to serve ads on these
emerging platforms.
An average of ten debit or credit transactions are processed per day on each
Hypercom terminal, making the global audience for this point-of-sale based
advertising about 1.4 billion consumer impressions per week.
“Our partnership with Hypercom provides a tremendous opportunity for
advertisers to reach their target customer base at the physical retail
environment,” said AdForce executive vice president Dee Cravens.
“Hypercom’s ePic framework and ePicNetz service company allow us to deliver
messages to a larger and more targeted population while they are actively
involved in the buying process.”
Working together, the two companies will allow advertisers to deliver and
measure the effectiveness of targeted advertising, self-select coupons,
loyalty programs, promotional messages and other content.
