Why Mobile & Virtual Gift Cards are Becoming a Way of Life
88% of mobile phones are now text enabled and 64% are internet enabled, and the surprising fact; 50% of Americans say they "can't live" without their mobile phone and 50% of Americans sleep with it nearby1. Why are we so much more reliant on our mobile phones now compared to only a few years ago? It's not just that plan options, better coverage and smarter technology is more widely available globally. We are increasingly more reliant on our mobile phones because they are more useful than ever for our business and social lives as the two converge, to create a ubiquitous mobile being. With limitless applications we move about with personalized driving/walking directions and location finders, social media apps, radio, music storage and player, mobile banking, camera, contacts, calendar, and text messenger…this is just the beginning. The type of phone; iPhone, Windows or Google phone, along with its apps and accessories matches our technological identity and often, our sense of style. For example, you are traveling for business and need a prescription. You use your mobile phone to find the closest CVS/pharmacy (www.cvs.com). Your doctor refills the prescription online and sends it to the CVS/pharmacy closest to where you are. Or you can refill your prescription from your phone at CVS.com mobile without missing a dose. You use your navigation app to get there and pay for it with the virtual CVS gift card your boss emailed you as reward for all that travel you've been doing and incentive to keep it up. You also grab that shampoo, razor and nail clippers you left at security before getting on the plane. Our business and personal cultures have become one with mobile technology and the innovative retailers engaging with it. This is a "day in the life" for the consumer, CVS/pharmacy and technology savvy retailers around the world. But why are virtual and mobile gift cards so attractive to businesses offering incentives and rewards? They supply instant gratification to the employer and the employee; e-delivery gets them in the hands of the employee almost immediately. Users also have several ways they can receive their gift cards, like their email, text message or mobile wallet, and they are easier to register and protect against lost or stolen cards. What else is happening in mobile gift card-land? People have questions about security, identity theft and fraud. Although 45 % of active mobile phone users have indicated that they would be interested in using their mobile phones to utilize the value of gift cards, as well as pay for goods and services2, security is on their mind. In the same survey 73 % of respondents also indicated they had significant concerns regarding privacy and identity theft when using mobile technology3. Theft could be an issue, but identity theft doesn't usually come into play with mobile gift cards since they don't hold private information about the recipient, just like physical gift cards. For the businesses and people paying online for mobile gift cards, there is a chance of credit card information theft, but this is true with any online transaction. There are also unique technology and security challenges when it comes to implementing a bulk B2B gift card program. There are barcode reading and scanning challenges at the point of sale and there are staff training challenges, but for innovative retailers like CVS who team up with technologists like CashStar, secure business driven and consumer driven solutions unfold. The growth of technology based gift cards is in full swing for retailers, consumers, and now, the B2B marketplace. Although growing pains have arisen, the benefits of mobile and virtual gift cards' are outweighing the risks; they are here to stay for consumer convenience, as part of our mobile lifestyle experience. Links: CVS.com is now accessible on-the go! CVS/pharmacy gift card supplier: GiftCard Partners: www.giftcardpartners.com CVS/pharmacy gift card site: http://www.giftcardpartners.com/cvs To learn more about how gift cards are used in B2B applications, visit: http://www.giftcardpartners.com/b2b.htm Mobile & eGifting: Bulk mobile and virtual gift cards for the B2B sector are becoming more common, as technologists such as CashStar (www.cashstar.com), with their flexible, powerful digital gifting platform that enables retailers to drive sales and increase retention and profitability by easily and securely integrating smart digital gifting into their marketing and engagement programs. 1 Synovate global mobile-phone survey |
Some of us are more likely to leave our house with our mobile phone than our wallet or license ... mobile technology is now engrained in our lives; our own mobility is sometimes dependent on having our phone with us.
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