CashStar was founded in late 2007, a few months after Apple first introduced the iPhone. Apple helped jumpstart the smartphone revolution and companies such as CashStar took advantage of emerging technologies to turn the gift card from a simple piece of plastic to a digital form that continues to enable retailers and consumers to get more mileage from the product.
Ben Kaplan, president and CEO of CashStar, recently briefed Mobile Payments Today on where the company stands halfway through 2014. We then followed up with a series of questions that Kaplan answered via email for this Q&A piece.
MPT: What has it been like for you personally, and as a whole for the company, since joining CashStar in August?
BK: Thrilling! I’ve been in the CRM, loyalty and payments industries for more than 20 years and this is very exciting for me because we’re at the intersection of all three. CashStar is leading the transformation of the gift card from a tactical piece of plastic to a dynamic digital platform that enables savvy brands to promote, reward, incent and engage their consumers.
