Gaining More Value from Mobile Payments
By David Jones, Blackhawk Network
Consumers see their mobile devices as a go-to resource and have certain expectations about the delivery of products and services via mobile. They also want seamless payment experiences, both in-store and out-of-store. Since mobile devices are integral to consumers’ lives, there’s an opportunity for payment systems to better integrate into mobile as well.
To help consumers move away from piecemeal transactions, we developed our new digital pass technology to enable merchant-specific value-added services, integrating gift cards, loyalty and rewards programs with digital wallets via Apple Pay and other mobile payment platforms. Through this technology, users have the choice of storing, managing and making payments with gift cards and loyalty points using their digital wallets.
People want to walk up to the register with their smartphones or Apple Watches, pay for their purchases with a gift card, and earn rewards and loyalty points—all with just a simple touch of their devices.
Retailers are starting to accept some digital wallets and are realizing that with the right technology they can do much more than speed up checkout. Mobile wallets can offer customers quick loyalty program enrollment at the point of sale—forget paper forms that hold up the line—and when integrated with a retailer’s branded gift card, can boost redemption. In addition, shoppers can receive special offers at check-out with a digitized loyalty program, including offers based on gift cards they have in their mobile wallets. Making it simple for shoppers to earn and redeem rewards and spend their gift cards are the value-added features that will drive repeat mobile wallet usage and help retailers engage their customers.
As technology changes, consumers’ payment preferences and habits are changing too. Functionality in phones is expanding, the POS process is improving and consumers want apps on their phones that provide the most value to them. We believe digital pass technology can be a game changer by making mobile payments more valuable to consumers, retailers and the payments industry.
David Jones is the general manager of commerce and incentives at Blackhawk Network, a pioneer of gift cards, payments tools and rewards delivered via a robust and convenient network. He can be reached at [email protected].
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