Gift Cards - The Mobile Website Way

The growth of mobile technology and related m-commerce continues at an astounding rate. Mobile internet is now commonplace via smartphones and tablets and has radically altered the habits of online shoppers, creating a myriad of opportunities for m-commerce and e-commerce traders.

Online shopping accounts for a large proportion of consumer spending. Now that the internet is freely available to customers on the move, technology has been forced to advance to accommodate these new methods of access. QR codes, mobile applications and specially-designed mobile websites have all been invented and continue to evolve to satisfy the growing hunger for accessible, current content.

An interesting new development is the Mobile Gift Card. Replacing standard gift vouchers in an electronic format, this technology has already almost erased the stigma surrounding a present that has previously suffered the problem of being seen as lacking a personal touch. Indeed, mobile gift vouchers can now be specifically targeted to their intended recipient by limiting its availability to a particular demographic.

A Mobile Gift Card has several advantages over its traditional paper cousin. A mobile voucher that is stored in a customer's smartphone is safer than a paper equivalent and is also much more accessible. Many stores have reported customer's presenting an out-of-date voucher as it has been left lying in a drawer, forgotten, for months after being received. Information about the voucher and the products it is used to purchase can be shared via social networks, creating an online buzz for the retailer and leading to further purchases from the original recipient's contact list. The Mobile Gift Card is an ideal way for shoppers to share their loyalty for a brand with their friends and family, further increasing the brand's value and reputation.

A Christmas survey from the National Retail Federation in the USA found that 81% of Americans planned to give gift vouchers this year and 60% specified a preference to receive them, the highest figure of all other types of gift. This demand is set to raise the total gift card sales to $43bn in November and December, a $2bn rise on the previous year.

Companies such as Facebook are already making Mobile Gift Cards available, allowing users to send them to one another. Denee Carrington, an analyst with the Forrester Research Group, predicted that, "We’ll see more commerce related to social, and gifting will be a huge part of that".

Brickweb, being a world-class digital agency, are fully conversant with the emerging technology of Mobile Gift Cards. Our creative, intuitive and innovative custom web design is tailored to individual requirements, embracing the latest technologies and developments to create a dynamic website that stands out from the crowd and generates impressive traffic. Mobile web design is an integral part of web development and Brickweb's innate understanding of this makes us the best choice to provide a range of m-commerce and e-commerce systems and solutions.

For more information on Brickweb's mobile technology services and how we can help your company please call 01254 277190 or alternatively email info@brickweb.co.uk

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