Generation Mobile

What Are This Season's Trade Shows Telling Us?

Mocapay has been to several trade shows lately including Loyalty 360 (loyalty360.org), RAMP (retailramp.com) and ETA (electran.org) – the mobile space is hotter than ever right now and everyone is excited to play!  Mobile Loyalty and marketing are generating the most buzz and mobile payments are causing much excitement.  The ability to integrate into the POS and third party data bases seems to be helping Mocapay to get attention where others may not.  The United States is considered to be behind in mobile commerce by many industry experts.  Mobile commerce has already become mainstream in many countries, where commercial banking and card based payments are not ingrained into the population.  Countries with more developed financial infrastructures are also ahead of the U.S., but what this season's trade shows are telling us is the U.S. is now ready  and has begin adoption of mobile commerce technologies.

We are exicited to be attending NRA Show 2012 (http://www.restaurant.org/show/) this weekend in Chicago as well! 

Mocapay 101 – Mobile Wallet and Mobile Cards

What Is a Mobile Gift Card?

A mobile gift card is a gift card that is stored and used on your mobile phone. The money value and your personal information is stored in Mocapay’s cloud (not on the mobile device) so it is secure. Mocapay’s mobile wallet (where the cards are stored) is pin protected so no one can purchase or use cards from you mobile wallet if they get a hold of your phone and they cannot access your personal information.

A merchant (restaurant or retailer) can integrate a mobile gift card program in a couple different ways:

―       A merchant can choose to mobilize a current gift card program they already have. We can integrate with their processor so the balance is the same on either card.

• This would give the customer 3 options:

1. Use their plastic gift card only.
2. Use their mobile gift card only. (Purchase this though the FREE Mocapay app for iPhone or Android or online at Mocapay.com)
3. Mobilize their plastic gift card giving the customer the option to pay using their mobile gift card on their cell phone or use their plastic card. They work interchangeably: meaning the balance will always be the same no matter which format of gift card the customer uses.

―       A merchant can choose to have a mobile only gift card program.

• This would require the customer to have a mobile gift card they use on their phone only. 

 

What Is a Mobile Loyalty Card?

A mobile loyalty card is a rewards program customers access though their cell phones. Basically, customers can use their cell phone number to accrue loyalty points just like they do with a punch card or plastic loyalty card.  

• With many programs, points are accrued very simply: $1 = 1 point!
• When a customer reaches a certain point threshold, they are rewarded with a comp card (value of which decided by merchant). For example, at 100 points the customer would receive a $10 mobile card.
• Then it starts all over again. 

 

What Is a Mobile Comp Card?

A mobile comp card is like a coupon/discount. It does not hold any actual monetary value, but can be redeemed at the point of sale just like a coupon or discount.

 A merchant can do a few different things with a mobile comp card:

―       They can use them for customer recovery

•     For example, if a customer calls and complains that their visit was not satisfactory, the merchant get their mobile phone number and send them a mobile comp card (value of  merchant’s choice) on the spot and ask the customer to give them another try,

―       They can use them as coupons/discounts

•     For example, “But one ______ get one free” and then load the comp card with the value of the item they would get for free.

―       They can use them in a mobile loyalty program as a reward for earning a certain amount of points. 

 

 What Is a Mobile Affinity Card?

A mobile affinity card is a mobile loyalty card and mobile gift card in one.

• When a customer pays with their mobile affinity card it works exactly the same as a gift card accept they automatically receive loyalty points for that purchase.
• HOWEVER, if a customer does not have money on their affinity card to pay with, they can also give the cashier their mobile phone number and accrue points on that same affinity card like they would with any loyalty card. 

 

Mocapay's Karin Ballard @ Yumilicious' New Store Grand Opening!

Yumilicious, a frozen yogurt dessert longue chain, just opened a brand new store in Dallas' NorthPark Center! Mocapay's very own Karin Ballard was there to celebrate with them! See the pictures of the exciting event below! 

Don't forget to like Mocapay on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/mocapay 

Karin Ballard with Yumilcious' David Farris

Check out Mocapay's Karen Moritzky in our booth at ETA!

Mocapay had a blast at ETA's Annual Meeting and Expo held in Las Vegas this year!

For more information about ETA (Electronic Transaction Assosiation), go to: http://www.electran.org/

Rockies Opening Day!!!

Some on the Mocapay family (Jill, Karen and Gina) on Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies!!! Downtown was hopping! 

 

How to Give a Mobile Gift Card!

A really cool feature of Mocapay is the ability to “Gift-a-Friend.” You can purchase a gift card and have it sent to your friend or family member’s mobile phone from your own Mocapay App or even from our website online: https://www.mocapay.com/p/sendcard/mca.  

To purchase the gift card online:

1. Go to www.mocapay.com (our main webpage)
2. Once on the webpage, look to the right and you will see in big blue letters “click here to buy a gift card”.
3. You will need to set up a Mocapay Account even if you do not have a smartphone! Up in the right corner of the webpage in the green bubble you will see a link to sign up.

Note: You can use Mocapay from any phone with text messaging, (but do not forget, standard text messaging rates do apply) you just cannot purchase the mobile gift card from your mobile phone without the App. That is why if you do not have a smartphone, you use our website listed above.

1. BE SURE that once you sign up,  you select the “Send a Mobile Gift Card” link. Be sure not to buy a card and send to your own phone number, as these mobile cards are not transferrable.
2. Select your cards (and their amounts).
3. Scroll down and  enter the recipient’s name, mobile number, email address (and yes, you do have to enter the email address for the card to process), the date you would like the card to be delivered, and an optional message. Again, be sure to enter the mobile number for the person who you want to receive the card.  Plus, you can choose the date for it to be delivered to them so if their birthday is still three weeks away, pay for it and don’t worry, it will get sent on their birthday!
4. After that you can check out. If you do not already have a credit card associated with your account, you will need to fill in your billing information as well.
5. The gift card will then be sent to you friend or family member!  You will receive an email receipt and they will get a text message telling them of your gift. 

 

To buy the gift card from your Mocapay Mobile App:

1. Select the “Gift-a-Friend” icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select which of out Merchant’s gift card you would like to send to your friend or family member.
3. Pick the card amount to wish to give and then select the credit card you would like to charge for the purchase.
4. The App will then ask you to enter the recipient’s name, mobile number, email address (and yes, you do have to enter the email address for the card to process), the date you would like the card to be delivered, and an optional message. Again, be sure you enter the person’s mobile number who you want to receive the mobile card, not your mobile number.
5. Now you will hit the “Send Gift” button at the bottom of the page. You will immediately be asked to enter your 4 digit PIN (which you set up when you download and set up your Mocapay Mobile App), and then the gift card will be processed and sent to you friend or family member!

Are you more of a visual person? Here is a link to our step-by-step phone guide with pictures too! https://www.mocapay.com/p/howto/mca

 

How do I use Mocapay if I do not have a smart phone?

We would like to get back to the basics to make sure everyone knows how to utilize Mocapay! First topic? Let’s talk about how you can utilize Mocapay’s merchant’s gift cards if you  do not have a smart pone!

Mocapay is versatile and can be used on your mobile phone the same way you use text messaging! The steps are simple.

1)      Find out if your favorite restaurant or store uses Mocapay! You can do this by going to the Mocapay website, www.mocapay.com, or simply asking at the store or restaurant itself.

2)      If the Merchant does use Mocapay, you will be able to text in a short code to that merchant’s keyword. For example, you can be put on the Dazbog Coffee list in Denver, CO by texting FREEDAZ to 466622. This particular promotion includes receiving a $4 mobile gift card just for joining their list!

• On a side note, what exactly is a list?  Well, being on a merchant’s list allows them to send you text messages about coupons, promotions, and offers up to two times per month! It is Mocapay’s promise that it you will not receive more than those two text messages per month from any single merchant!

3)      Now that puts you on a merchant’s list, which may or may not include sending you a gift card for joining, but let’s say someone sent you a gift card through your phone, what now?

4)      Make sure you save the text message that alerted you that you received a mobile gift card in your phone! When you are ready to use the card, reply to that text message. There will be instructions in the text message as to which keyword, (for example DAZBOG10) to reply to the short code with!

• Another side note, a short code is simply a shorter number associated with Mocapay. They are designed to be easier to read and remember. It works they same was as texting a friend, but you cannot call the number.

5)      After you reply to the text message, you will receive a new text message with a six-digit code to give to the restaurant or store employee helping you. This code is good for 30 minutes, and once it has been used once, it cannot be used again! This is a safety measure to prevent fraud for both you and the merchant. If you do not use it within 30 minutes, it does not affect your balance, but you can get a new code or refresh your code anytime!

6)      Once you have paid for your products with the code, you will receive another text message, a text receipt, telling you what you spent and the new balance of your gift card!

And it is as simple as that to utilize and enjoy!

If you do have a smart phone and want to learn about how to download and use the App… check it out on our website here: https://www.mocapay.com/mpay/consumers-how-it-works

Also, if you would like to gift a card to a friend, you can do so here: https://www.mocapay.com/p/sendcard/mca

 

Welcome James!

From the desk of Doug Dwyre…

We are excited to announce a new addition to our team, James Ray. He is stepping into the role of Chief Technology Officer and will be leading development and implementation of new functionality for the Mocapay platform.

Prior to joining Mocapay, James was the CTO and COO of Publicis & Hal Riney, a global advertising agency where he created and executed marketing plans and campaigns for clients. James was also the founder and CEO of Size Technologies in San Francisco, CA, a company that developed and licensed loyalty, stored value, transactions marketing, and open system processing host solutions that integrated into existing payment systems. First Data acquired the company in January 2007, where James was brought on as a SVP for incentive marketing and loyalty.

We look forward to working with James as he brings a breadth of knowledge in the payment, loyalty, and marketing space. His background in developing and executing loyalty and marketing plans will be instrumental in Mocapay’s growth strategy in 2012.

Why Mobile And Loyalty Makes Sense

Check out a post from Mocapay today from our friends at Loyalty 360...

An important component to any merchants’ sales and marketing strategy is the implementation of a loyalty program to increase repeat visits and thank loyal customers. As technology evolves, so do the channels and tools that merchants use to reach consumers.

Mobile is the biggest shift in the way that consumers interact with brands by making information available anytime and anywhere. To take advantage of this shift, brands have begun making mobile a priority by creating mobile applications or by designing websites that are optimized for smaller screens.

While mobile price-comparison and research applications are popping up on many smartphones, these applications are missing out on tracking current customer purchases and rewarding them for their loyalty. Many brand or merchant loyalty programs are still using direct mailings, email programs, and loyalty collateral such as punch cards and keychain fobs to reach loyal customers.

An April 2011 Colloquy report found that of the $48 billion worth of customer loyalty points dispensed to customers, one-third or $16 billion are never redeemed. Consumers either forget about the programs they are participating in or have misplaced the materials needed to redeem. What about the missed opportunities for consumers who do not have their loyalty card or keychain fob with them?

Mobile solves these types of inconveniences by allowing consumers to collect and redeem loyalty points right from their mobile phone. Not only do consumers benefit from the convenience of mobile, merchants and brands are able to track redemption and send reminders of total points and offers. 

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when designing a modern loyalty program:

• Partner with a mobile loyalty provider to mobilize your existing program or to design a new one
• Develop offers that can be distributed through SMS or a mobile application
• Make signing up easy and provide an instant benefit to adopt.

With many customers carrying less and relying more on their mobile devices, brands and merchants can provide a better loyalty experience that increases store traffic, loyalty, and redemption.

Where We’ve Been

From the desk of Karen Moritzky…
We have been missing in action on our blog, but not in the mobile marketing and payments space. Between adding new members to our team and working with our merchants to execute dynamic programs, we are finally catching our breath to share a few highlights with you.

First, I want to introduce Doug Dwyre, the president of Mocapay. Bringing over 24 years of experience in the financial services industry; Doug has worked on innovative incentive marketing programs focused on driving behavior and providing valuable customer data to retailers and financial services firms. In fact, Doug was recently quoted in the Denver Post regarding the local payment talent.

In addition to Doug joining the Mocapay team, our merchants have been leveraging the Mocapay platform to engage with customers both in and out of stores. Last year, Dazbog, a Denver-based coffee shop, began using the platform to engage customers through mobile marketing and mobile gift. As Dazbog has rolled Mocapay out to over 25 locations, Nation’s Restaurant News profiled the company and how mobile has changed its relationship with it’s customers.

Come back to visit our blog as we keep you updated on new merchants, products, and our thoughts to how the mobile marketing and payment space is evolving.

Stay tuned!

A Cup of Mocapay

From the desk of Kevin Grieve…
 
Today we announced a partnership with Dazbog, a gourmet coffee company, with locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Texas and Wyoming. Dazbog will begin launching the Mocapay mobile platform at all of Dazbog’s Colorado locations with plans to expand to additional states in the near future.
 
As we continue to see an increase in interest from merchants who are looking for new and exciting ways to connect with customers, Mocapay is committed to providing merchants with a platform that delivers 360° interactivity with its customers. With traditional marketing becoming less effective at driving consumer behavior, retailers and merchants must adapt to the digital culture that has become part of daily life in virtually every age demographic. 
 
For us, Dazbog is a prime example of an innovative merchant who looks to engage with their past, present, and future customers through innovative promotions and menu items. The Mocapay platform complements that culture by offering a real-time platform to communicate those offerings.
 
We really are excited to be working with Dazbog and look forward to expanding our mobile platform throughout all of their stores.