Starbucks, Dunkin’ Rank High for Digital Gifting Experience
RSR Research today released results of its fourth benchmarking study on the digital gifting industry, “Digital Gift Cards: Rewriting the Gifting Rules in the Omni-Channel Age.” According to a news release, the study evaluates the gifting experiences of the nation’s top retailers in verticals such as restaurants, beauty, sports and apparel. Across all verticals, Starbucks […]
Google Wallet Now Supports Gift Cards
Google recently updated its Google Wallet app with a variety of new features, including the ability to support gift cards. In addition to supporting both loyalty cards and offers, the app now enables users to manage gift cards and redeem those cards in store. To add gift cards to Google Wallet, users can snap a photo […]
Payment-processing firms clustering in Portland
Many of the highest-profile payment technologies come from Silicon Valley – PayPal, Square and Google Wallet come to mind – but Portland boasts a cluster of companies that plays a starring role in the evolution of how people and businesses interact with money. Portland’s cluster is made up of nearly a dozen companies that fit […]
CashStar Tech Gives Gift Cards a Clear Path into Mobile Wallets
Mobile wallets are designed to make it easy to pay from a linked credit or debit card, but the process of using loyalty and gift cards can be a bit trickier. CashStar is working to take some of the pain out of this process for users of its gift card platform. “CashStar has gone from […]
In the Cards
“B e prepared” is more than a Boy Scout motto: It is also a mantra that retailers need to pay attention to as they get ready for the oncoming holiday season. And nowhere is that more important than with gift cards. Gift cards are a growing part of most retailers’ holiday business. What was a $120 […]
CashStar Lights the Path with Digital Gifting
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 […]
Q&A with Ben Kaplan
More than six months into his new gig, CashStar’s CEO explains why the biggest potential for digital gift cards may lie in promotions, loyalty and customer service. CashStar set out five years ago to shake up the traditional gift card model, introducing technology that would take retailer-branded gift cards digital and mobile. Beginning with CVS/pharmacy […]
Gift Cards to Dine For
If there’s a particular type of gift card that possesses nearly universal appeal, dining gift cards certainly fit the bill. That broad appeal, and unique experience factor is driving the demand for these types of gift cards in the incentive space says Jim Atten, general sales manager for Lisle, IL-based RPG Gift Cards/Royal Performance Group […]
CNP Expo: Think You Know Prepaid? Think Digital, Think Mobile
Gift cards, both digital and physical, spur greater purchases for retailers—a concept called “lift,” which is when a person uses a gift card but spends extra cash at the retailer. “We’re seeing an explosion in the variety of things retailers are doing with gift cards,” said Pete Kledaras, chief risk officer of CashStar. “Retailers are only […]