Chargifi, a provider of a wireless charging technology that can be embedded into a table, has added Ingram Micro as its distributor for North America.
The alliance with Ingram Micro will not only make the core offering accessible to a larger number of channel partners, it also provides the first opportunity for many partners to engage in an Internet of Things (IoT) project that has a high degree for potential success, says Frank Raimondi, senior vice president for global channel and alliances at ICN Group, which manages the channel program on behalf of Chargifi.
Chargifi makes it possible for channel partners to deliver a managed service for charging tables that can be installed in, for example, a restaurant or bar. The charging stations are based on the QI wireless interface that the latest generation of mobile devices now routinely support. Among the first Chargifi customers is the Las Vegas Resort New York, New York, says Raimondi.
The goal is to bring together partners with IT experience with the organizations that configure furniture deployed on hotels, restaurants and office spaces. In many cases, channel partners are already delivering managed wireless networking services into those environments. The Chargifi platform represents an upsell opportunity for those partners, says Raimondi.
Many of the partners interested in the Chargifi business also tend to have a focus on digital signage, adds Raimondi. The goal is to make it more attractive for end customers to stay in a location where they might be exposed to more advertising.
“A lot of people have battery anxiety any time they go somewhere,” says Raimondi. “Chargifi solves that problem.”
In some cases, partners are getting a percentage of that advertising revenue, says Raimondi.
Chargifi is a partner with Ingram Micro via the distributor’s revamped IoT Group with about 15 partners now signed up, says Raimondi. The goal is to sign up 50 to 100 partners that have relationships in, for example, the hospitality or retail sectors, says Raimondi.
It may take a while for mobile computing devices that support the QI interface to become ubiquitous. But if partners wait to get started on building wireless charging tables now chances are the opportunity will have passed them by as more end users embrace the next generation of mobile devices this holiday season.
Be First to Comment