The idea behind TipTag came from a single problem - unlike with cash, there is no easy way to leave an electronic tip for a specific individual in most hospitality venues. This is a missing tipping opportunity, a moment where a customer (in this case our founder Chris) would have left a tip, but couldn't, so didn't.

Through conversations with many businesses, we've found that there are actually lots of missed tipping opportunities in the age of electronic transactions. TipTag's original idea creates a tipping opportunity via functionality not present on POS systems, but it also conveniently addresses two other opportunity problems - time and space.

Time and Space
At least in the UK, the majority of people (~60%) leave a tip based on whether they received good service. The natural implication of this is that they need to have experienced the service before being asked to leave a tip! This is the time factor in tipping opportunity - the opportunity needs to come after service.

There also needs to be a method to collect the tip. Cash tips can be left on tables, but electronic tips need a POS terminal to be near the customer at the time they want to leave the tip. This is the space element - where the tip can be collected.

In a restaurant, time and space are addressed by the standard flow of the venue. You order your meal, experience the food and service, and then pay the bill. You add a tip at the end of the experience (time), when a waiter comes to your table to help you pay (space).

Out of Time
However, things are not always so easy. Imagine instead a busy beer garden with a kitchen. Payments are taken up front, potentially at a bar indoors, to stop people dining and dashing, and then food and drinks are brought out to the table.

Now there is a time problem and a space problem! When the customer is in the same space as the POS system, ordering their food at the bar, they haven't tried it yet and they don't know if the service will be good - the time is wrong. Once they've finished their meal, they might like to leave a tip, but they can't from their table and would need to wade in to the busy bar. The time is right, but the space is wrong.
‍
The result is obvious - no tips for the staff, no matter how hard they work. In some places I've visited, the average is under 0.1% of a tip on food because so few orders receive a tip at all.

TipTag's Solution
If a location was using TipTag, these space and time problems disappear. Tags can be left on tables or even built into them, so a tip can be left whenever the customer likes from the comfort of wherever they may be.

As always, thoughts and suggestions on tipping opportunities are always welcome at info@tipthetag.com.
- Sandy, Associate Director of BD @ TipTag

If you're on our social media, you might've noticed some posts going up about our first prototype tags.

These are the first version of what will form the basis of the TipTag system. So, here's a little bit about how they're designed:

NFC Chips
All TipTag tags come with an NFC chip. This is a small, battery-free piece of tech that your phone can read when you hold it next to the tag. It contains all the information your phone needs to open up the TipTag interface, which lets you see where your tip goes and decide how much you want to give.

One great thing about these chips is that they're tiny - so although we like the fob design as a default, the possibilities for what a tag looks like are endless. It could be a bar blade, a "hockey puck" left on a table, a drinks mat - you get the idea.
---
Branding
The sticker in the middle nicely covers up the NFC chip. By default these come with a TipTag sticker, but what goes on the sticker is entirely up to you! So for a bar or a restaurant, you might have the logo of the business - but you could equally have something representing your personal brand, which works well for buskers, street performers, and so on.

Each tag comes embossed with the TipTag logo so customers know they can trust the tag.
---
Material
For now, we've 3D printed these just to see how they look. When they're ready for production, we'll do them in different materials that are smoother and more tactile.

When showing off the tags in the last fortnight, we've had a lot of bars say they'd like their tag with a chrome finish to match their bar furniture. We're also looking into what recycled and sustainable materials we can use.
---

We hope that gives you a better idea of what a TipTag tag is! If you have any thoughts or suggestions, you can always reach us at info@tipthetag.com.
- Sandy, Associate Director of BD @ TipTag

With first designs completed and first prototypes on the way, TipTag is ready to hear from businesses!

We're working hard behind the scenes to get TipTag ready for launch. If you'd like to be amongst the first to try TipTag, or would like to see a demo of the product once it's out, you can sign up using our LOI form.

You can also get in touch with us at info@tipthetag.com.

Thanks all!
- Sandy, Associate Director of BD @ TipTag