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The objective of any loyalty program is to generate repeat visits. It is believed the first modern loyalty program commenced in 1793, when a Sudbury, New Hampshire merchant began rewarding customers with copper tokens. People could accumulate the tokens and use them for future purchases. The idea has been replicated by other retailers over the centuries — from branded metal tokens, over cutting-out trademarks from product packaging, various paper checks, tickets, certificates, and coupons, to plastic cards, stamps, miles, and points. But customers are not the same now as they were back then. We spend nearly a few hours a day on our mobile phones nowadays. Mobile phones allow us to stay connected, shop, or stay informed. And we haveContinue Reading

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NFC chips have changed the way we interact with the world around us. They have also enabled contactless payments as well as mobile payment services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Some time ago, I wrote here about what can NFC do. Today, let’s look at some of the best uses for NFC that will impress your customers. NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a set of standards that enable devices in close proximity — within a few centimeters of each other — to exchange information wirelessly. Mobile apps running on supported devices can use NFC scanning to read data from electronic tags attached to real-world objects. For example, people can scan an in-store sign to accessContinue Reading

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Digital transactions continue to rise. Over the last few years, the number of people using mobile wallets to make payments surged in Europe. And over the last two years, the value of mobile transactions doubled. Mobile payments are expected to make one-third of all point-of-sale transactions within the next two years. More people are using mobile wallets such as Apple Wallet or Google Pay at the present time. They are confident their financial data is secure. People are also exposed to the touted convenience of mobile payments. With the mobile wallet, people can keep their payment cards, loyalty cards, airline, train, and bus boarding passes, event tickets, discount coupons, booking confirmations, and more in a single app. And use theirContinue Reading

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Who loves to travel? I bet a lot of you do! It seems we will be free to travel again soon. Free to get on a plane or take a drive to meet a customer, or to go somewhere you have never been. But before we take off, let’s take a look at some of my favorite travel hacks. Never Check Your Bag The ones who know me would confirm that this is my absolute favorite travel hack. Seriously. Even if it might seem hard to avoid when traveling overseas or doing extended travel. Always pack your stuff wisely. Then you can avoid lost baggage nightmares. And save at least half an hour of each trip as you don’t haveContinue Reading

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Apple presented a preview of iOS 15 during an online keynote for Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the company’s mid-year software show, earlier this month. Apple CEO Tim Cook said this next major version of the iPhone’s operating system will launch in the fall — likely in September. iOS 15 brings an enormous number of new features and improvements. Today, Apple Wallet is already incredibly powerful. It can be used to store credit and debit cards, rewards cards for stores, student IDs, airplane boarding passes, concert tickets, and more. It is essentially a digital replacement for a physical wallet, and compared to Google’s rival app — Google Pay — it is far ahead. And Apple continues to beef up its WalletContinue Reading

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The European Commission is proposing a new regulation for a European digital identity that will be available to all EU citizens, as well as residents, and businesses. Digital wallets will be offered to people and businesses by the member states. The move comes days after the EU’s digital COVID-19 certificate program went live in the first seven countries (all EU countries will be in the program by July 1). The European Commission is composed of commissioners from all 27 EU countries. It helps to shape the EU’s overall strategy, proposes new EU laws and policies, monitors their implementation, and manages the EU budget. The new European digital identity wallets will be linked to peoples’ national digital identities. In this newContinue Reading

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2020 has changed so much about the way we live and work including our shopping and payment preferences and habits. The e-commerce surge that has accompanied the pandemic has created a growing preference for mobile payments. The shift to mobile payments offering people a secure, fast and simple checkout process is only going to accelerate. Small businesses can reach customers on mobile phones that are glued to their hands all day long. Mobile wallets such as Apple Wallet and Google Pay are the center point for a richer customer experience. Mobile wallets allow small businesses to reimagine loyalty programs in a convenient digital format that native to peoples’ mobile phones. People, in general, would more likely to shop with aContinue Reading

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The United States of America is the most generous country in the world over a long period of time according to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index. Unlike Czechia that is among the least charitable countries. Americans love helping out people in need. Donating money to charity seems much less common for Czechs. I believe it is not a lack of generosity. In an emergency situation, or when people are touched by a strong story, they do not hesitate to help. Immediately and generously. Although generosity often goes hand-in-hand with charity, Czechs are just very slowly getting used to contributing regularly to charity. While society is getting richer, still a lot of people consider themselves not having “enoughContinue Reading

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Mobile marketing — one of the most powerful marketing techniques … So what do you need to know to get started with mobile marketing? In today’s mobile-first world, brands are on the hook to provide great mobile experiences. But also start-ups and small businesses can connect with people through their personal devices. And hence, to stay current with peoples’ habits. You should know that you don’t have to develop your bespoke mobile app. If people own a mobile phone, they likely have and use a mobile wallet. To engage your customers, you can offer them your branded digital content for their mobile wallets such as Apple Wallet or Google Pay. This mobile wallet digital content is a digital substitute forContinue Reading

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More and more people prefer spending using mobile wallets instead of cash or plastic. The desire for contactless payments is turning out to be a surging tide and all mobile wallets — with Apple Pay substantially ahead of the pack — are benefiting from this trend. You might think that mobile wallets are just about payments. But they can work for you as a new and powerful marketing and loyalty platform. Why? Mobile wallets allow you to show up on your customers’ lock screen with push notifications. So you can connect with people through their personal devices. Mobile wallets — Apple Wallet and Google Pay — are secure, organized folders that allow people to store, view, and manage their paymentContinue Reading