Giftango has expanded its ordering interface so online retailers may sell both virtual and physical cards, the gift card provider announced Oct. 27.
Giftango is adding physical gift card delivery to its e-gift card service, which processor Vantiv LLC supports through its prepaid platform, David Nelsen, Giftango CEO, tells PaymentsSource. Retailers such as organic grocer Whole Foods are using the application.
The gift card platform enables consumers visiting participating retailer sites to buy both virtual gift cards for electronic delivery and physical gift cards for mailing to recipients, an option Nelsen says was in demand.
The addition of physical card delivery helps Giftango’s retailers to target more types of consumers, says Brian Riley, senior research director of bankcards for TowerGroup. “This is a way to hit all the age groups,” he says, noting younger consumers are used to such digital products as video games and iTunes files, while older consumers may appreciate a physical gift card more.
Having more types of gift cards available also benefits retailers who may want to carry more than one kind of design on their cards, says Nelsen. And consumers can buy both the electronic and the physical gift cards in the same transaction while sending the cards to different recipients by either email or SMS text or to a physical address by mail, he says.
Giftango work with more than 300 merchants in the U.S. and Canada. The company expects to add 15 national merchants over the next month, says Nelsen.
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