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Exclusive Interview With The CEO: Single Touch Systems Inc. (SITO) - James Orsini

January 24, 2012 - The Wall Street Transcript has just published Wireless Communications & Telecom Report offering a timely review of the sector. This Special Report contains expert industry commentary through in-depth interviews with public company CEOs, Equity Analysts and Money Managers. Please find an excerpt below.

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James Orsini is Chief Executive Officer and Member of the board of directors of Single Touch Systems Inc., a mobile media solutions provider serving retailers, advertisers and brands. Mr. Orsini has more than 25 years of finance and operations experience across a broad range of marketing and communications disciplines. He stepped down from his previous role as Executive Vice President and Director of Finance and Operations for Saatchi & Saatchi in New York. Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi, Mr. Orsini was Chief Operating Officer of Interbrand North America, a brand consultancy with offices in 22 countries. Interbrand is a wholly owned subsidiary of Omnicom. He graduated magna cum laude from Seton Hall University, with a B.S. in business administration. He received the university's Presidential Academic Scholarship. Mr. Orsini is a licensed New York State Certified Public Accountant and a Member of the American Institute of CPAs and Turnaround Management Association.

TWST: Please give us an overview and history of Single Touch.

Mr. Orsini: Our company was started by our Founder, Anthony Macaluso, who remains our Chairman and Chief Innovation Officer. We started in 2002 as a mobile technology company. It became publicly traded in 2008, and today we are an innovative mobile media solutions provider servicing retailers, advertisers and brands through our patented technologies.

TWST: What are those patented technologies? What are the major products and services Single Touch offers?

Mr. Orsini: We have several go-to-market offerings. We have what we call a "Come here"/"Be there" reminder service - "Come here," your prescription is ready, "Be there," the furniture is on its way. This is a ready reminder service that's really a perfect solution for retailers with various pick-up offerings of photos or opticals, or it's great for delivery service or logistics providers. There is no reason for people to have to wait around for hours for the cable installer to get to a customer's house anymore. Instead of waiting, we provide a service that sends the customer a message saying "The delivery is on its way," and then, the customer can send a message back to the dispatcher to let him know that he or she is home and available.

We have patented technologies around abbreviated dial codes. These are short-cut numbers, so you dial that number instead of a full number to accomplish a desired action. For example, you could dial the code 6789, or you could dial #6897 to vote for something. It is an easy-to-remember, shortened phone number that works across multiple carriers. Another example is our own #SITO, so you would dial #7486 on your cell phone and just follow the prompts and you will receive a video on Single Touch (SITO) and directions to our offices. We also have a mobile advertising, couponing and promotion platform that enables mass-market penetration through mobile devices.

TWST: How often does Single Touch come up with new products? Does the company have any new developments in the pipeline or in the research phase you can tell us about?

Mr. Orsini: We currently are working on an item that is in testing right now. It is a closed-loop point-of-sale system. We really see it as a more elegant solution for consumer product companies and retailers to aggregate and disseminate coupons and a way for consumers to receive loyalty rewards and even share their experiences in the social media space. This product would also have a reverse couponing component that would be able to populate your mobile device with a shopping list based on your purchasing patterns.

TWST: So for a new product like that, what is the process of development to the consumer? What happens after you test it?

Mr. Orsini: While it is being tested, we are also looking at the marketing opportunity. With this particular product, we are in the process of talking with CPG companies to sponsor this, and we are also dealing directly with smaller retailers to test it at their point of sale. We typically have a multipronged approach when we develop a new product to see how best to get it into the marketplace. We are at once testing both the product and the marketplace traction opportunities.