Barcode iPhone App Month Review: IamVIP
Review of IamVIP
Price: 0.99 | Link to App Store
This 'wallet' app is supposed to store all your rewards cards for you so that you don't need to dig through your wallet for the card at the register. I had high hopes that this app would end all future embarrassment associated with taking an inordinately long time to dig up that little card at Borders that saves me 10% on my vanilla latte. However, the people behind me will continue to suffer.
IamVIP gives you two input options. You can 'scan' the barcode or type in the number. The scan option takes you to the camera where you take a photo of the barcode. Ostensibly, the app is able to read the code from the photo, but after 25 scans I was unable to input even one of my 4 rewards cards with this method. I then added my Borders and PetCo card numbers manually. After being added the cards appeared in the list and when tapped IamVIP generates a large barcode on your screen.The Motorola LS2208 scanner I have here at home would not read the codes nor would the scanners at the store. The barista at Borders informed me that sometimes the scanner would read a code from a phone, but rarely. The barcodes IamVIP generated on my screen would not scan at Borders or Petco.
I find it baffling that this app could be released without anyone verifying that the codes would scan from the phone. Is the app completely useless? Well, technically, it still provides a single location for storing all of your rewards cards numbers. You can always just read the number to the clerk. However, that is not good enough for this writer. The barcode-ness of this app is completely useless. There are many 'wallet apps' out there; I hold high hopes that I'll find one later this month that delivers the goods as promised.
If you liked this article, also try:
The Point of Sale News, an online magazine dedicated to the retail industry.