Isis Early Results Show Consumers Doubling Merchant Visits in Salt Lake City (Feb. 7, 2013)
Feb. 7, 2013
Consumers are responding positively to merchant offers in the Isis Mobile Wallet test, according to early data since the pilot launched in late October in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, according to Jim Stapleton, Isis chief sales officer. “What we are seeing is once they leave the store, about two-thirds [of consumers participating in Isis] are following merchants” by opting in to receive offers through their mobile phones, Stapleton told attendees at the Smart Card Alliance’s Payments Summit. “We’re seeing consumers who use Isis offers shop twice as often at [participating Salt Lake City] merchants. Active users are using it five times a week,” Stapleton said.
The Isis Wallet’s prepaid card comes preloaded with $10 when consumers download the app. When consumers link another card to the wallet, they receive another $15 from Isis. “Virtually all” consumers are opting to add an additional funding source, Stapleton told Paybefore in an interview. Vending machines linked to Isis also are seeing “great” results, he said. In Austin, which has about 200 contactless-enabled vending machines that sell Coca-Cola products, participation in the My Coke Rewards loyalty program has soared because the signup process is much easier than the typical “friction-filled” process, Stapleton said.
The highest volume of Isis usage in Salt Lake City is coming from riders on Utah Transit Authority (UTA) trains and buses, he added. To help promote the concept and drive overall use of its growing array of contactless card readers, UTA has offered free rides to consumers participating in Isis since the program launched. The free phase will continue at least through March 30, Stapleton said. The UTA has “led the social and PR effort” for Isis in Salt Lake City by promoting it on specially painted trains and other promotional media, Stapleton added. Isis is available at about 10,000 retail locations altogether in Salt Lake City and Austin, including large national retailers that also “are evangelizing the core concept” with promotions and offers.
