SCTN launches loyalty-linked smart gift cards
Smart Chip Technologies (SCTN) has launched two new smart card-based products: a pre-paid stored value card and a gift card, which can be integrated seamlessly with the company's existing end-to-end loyalty programme management solution.
The gift cards and pre-paid stored value cards use the same technology infrastructure as the SCTN Loyalty System, including Loyalty Central and the e-llegiance engine. According to SCTN, this will allow banks and merchants to offer flexible bonuses and restrictions, and create coalitions of merchants in various ways to help boost their business.
Upgrade path As before, the new products work with the merchant's existing card and point-of-sale (POS) systems, and different types of cards and devices (such as magnetic stripe and smart cards) can be mixed within a single programme, making it easy for banks and merchants to upgrade to smarter devices in small steps (even a single terminal at a time).
"The addition of these new products not only extends the reach of our rules-based engine but also enables a seamless migration from other card products into a strategic customer retention scheme," said SCTN chairman and chief product architect, David Simon.
International reseller At the same time, Smart Chip Technologies has signed a global distribution agreement with London-based Collins Worldwide (which has International headquarters in Toronto) to licence and resell the loyalty, pre-paid stored value card, and gift card solutions throughout Europe, Australia, and South Africa.
"There is great demand in our markets for sophisticated loyalty programmes integrated with gift cards, credit, debit, and stored value payment options that will work on any type of card or mobile payment device," commented David Collins, president for Collins Worldwide.
According to SCTN, the market for multi-function cards and advanced payment devices in Europe and Asia is more mature than the North American market. Collins added, "Smart Chip Technologies' multi-lingual and multi-currency system architecture, EMV support, and simple utility pricing model is an end-to-end solution for customer retention and transaction management."
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