i-movo and Wapple are working together on a mobile barcode system aimed at UK retailers.

The new system will make it easier for participating stores to process mobile-based offers. Until now, the 30,000 retailers involved in the i-movo's scheme had to type in a unique code sent to the customer's phone via SMS.

Now, though, digital barcodes can be delivered to, optimised and displayed on over 50,000 different mobile devices using the mobile internet. The vouchers can then be scanned at the point of sale to redeem goods, services or tickets.

"Thanks to Wapple, simply being able to scan barcodes directly from a mobile device fully automates our voucher redemption process and is much faster for retailers to use," said David Tymm, CEO, i-movo. "Our traditional strength in understanding in real-time who is using the vouchers, where and when, remains."

"With more than 100 new device and software combinations appearing every month, i-movo needs complete confidence that its vouchers are optimised for any existing mobile device and also that new devices are supported as soon as they come on the market," said Anne Thomas, COO at Wapple.

"For this application, it is also critical that the barcodes scan reliably to provide a good experience for consumers and retailers."

The solution has been made possible because of Wapple's new XML-based mark-up language, WAPL, which enables the development of device independent applications.

Brands such as The Evening Standard, Wild Bean Café and The Daily Mail have already used i-movo digital voucher technology.