GiftCard Partners Blog

A major advancement in mobile payment came last week when Google announced that it will enable content monetization through Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payment systems.  This could not only make a mobile phone into a payment system, but also maximize and transform the effectiveness of point of sale displays.  This announcement comes shortly after Apple made a similar announcement about implementing NFC mobile payment options on its mobile devices. This development enables phones to become as or more important than someone's wallet, because it adds the functionality of a payment system for goods and services, to the already multi-faceted smart phone market.  To learn more about Google and NFC technology click
here.  Any thoughts how this might affect the mobile gift card market going forward?

This is a great example of using gift cards to smooth over a customer service nightmare . Approximately 8,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers went without power earlier this month. HECO will soon issue $50 gift cards and formal letters of apology to many of their customers who went without power for an extended period of time. Many companies say “Thank you” to their customers with gift cards via loyalty and rewards programs. Will saying “Sorry” with gift cards keep customers loyal? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment. Read the full story:
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14259331

Mobile technology is heating up, especially within the gift card industry. GiftCard Partners' marketing team outlines how mobile technology integrates gift cards into our always on the go, mobile lifestyles.

"As gift cards become more popular with consumers, brands are also looking into the cards for different programs. From loyalty rewards to in-store rewards, gift cards are becoming an integral part of loyalty marketing, but is this solution right for your brand?" by
Kristina Knight Check out the Loyalty 360 story here:
Are gift cards right for your loyalty program?

Greg Williams, employee of MeadWestvaco Corp. in Richmond, VA likens his pedometer to his American Express card, because he never leaves home without it.  It is a big part of his companies employee wellness program, which helps him lose weight and gain money in gift cards (he has accrued about $800 in rewards so far).  To find more information about this program, or other similar programs check out this
article.