There's no doubt that mobile incentives are on the rise, what with mobile penetration on the continent constantly on the rise and the use of smartphones increasing at a steady rate. As a result, the recruitment industry's taken a shine to self-service portals like TuYu, which let you motivate and reward staff at the click of a button. But as with anything online, the 'gifts through mobile' idea has spread thick and fast - so much so that retailers and marketers alike are now streaming towards mobile gifting apps like Gift It - a mobile gifting app, where you can send and receive digital gift cards, products and free gifts.
"We want South Africans to re-visit the joys of gifting and have thus developed a mobile app that is not a purchasing platform, but one geared towards gifting," says co-founder, Cameron Venter.
Even better? Venter and co-founder Jon King say: "We launched Quick Gifts because who doesn't need a 4p.m. chocolate pick-me-up after five soul-sucking meetings?" When I asked how soon after 'ordering' you'd be able to pick up that chocolate, they said it depends how long it takes you to reach one of the participating stores to redeem your voucher.
Certainly sounds good, especially in a country where we aren't used to things working 'just so' - we expect delays, sign at tech difficulties, and have grudgingly come to accept poor service. So anything that seems to turn this 'status quo' on its head makes me happy.
I chatted to King and Venter to find out more about the trend that's not only revolutionising the face of mobile retail but also driving foot traffic in store...
1. Why the need for a mobile gifting app? King and Venter: There are two main reasons:
1.1 To reinvent gifting. Most things in the world have become easier, faster and more affordable and 'gifting' someone should be no different. We've created a platform that allows users to do exactly this and, in doing so, we are changing how people gift. Our platform's ease of use and speed enables users to conveniently gift their friends on special days such as a birthday or send small gifts such as sending a friend a chocolate if they have had a bad day or an energy drink to help them study for a big exam. We believe you should have the ability to gift your loved ones on daily basis if you want to, regardless of where they live or how busy their or your life is. We have created a platform that does exactly that.
1.2 We wanted to create a platform that offered brands and retailers a simple and affordable gifting and marketing solution. Our white label product enables retailers and brands to have their own digital gifting solution, which offers store gift cards and product vouchers. This can be used to either gift their customers with digital gift cards or product vouchers, or to allow their customers to gift these to their friends, thus growing their reach - but it's not just about the online aspect, as the recipient still goes to the store to redeem the voucher, thus increasing foot traffic, too.
2. Sounds like a twofold win - is the name 'Gift It' a play on the IT elements involved? King and Venter: Yes! We offer a digital gifting platform, hence the 'IT', but we also want to create an environment where you see a gift and can instantly gift it, as simple as that. It also follows on as a verb. If you want to share something, you Facebook It, when you want to find something, you Google It and when you want to gift something, you Gift It.
3. Makes sense. We often read that smartphones are not yet in the majority in South Africa - how does Gift It make its services available for feature phone users? King and Venter: We have a fully functional and fully responsive website where users can send and receive gifts. Once you have received a gift, you simply take the code you received with the gift in store to redeem. This means that if you have access to the internet either via a PC or your phone, you can easily send and receive gifts.
4. When did Gift It start, and why? King and Venter: With a huge shift globally towards mobile, we found that very little was happening in South Africa with regards to gifting. Other online platforms are focussed on purchases for oneself and offer gifting as a small category, but nothing seemed to be fully geared and focused on gifting, particularly in the mobile space, so early in 2013, the concept of Gift It was born and the company's journey started. Our goal was to change the way people gifted their loved ones by creating a platform that is simple, convenient and fast but at the same time capturing the personal element of giving someone a gift.
5. What type of gifts are available? King and Venter: You can gift anything from a gift card at one of your favourite retailers to a box of your favourite chocolates, from your favourite bottle of whiskey to an iTunes voucher. We are constantly working at growing our retailer network, looking for new partners and adding to the gifts on offer so that there is something for everyone, from the inexpensive everyday type of gift to the more expensive 'special occasion' gift.
6. Sounds great. What's response been like, since launch? King and Venter: We've been live for about three weeks now and currently have just under 500 users, with just under 900 gifts being bought, and growing all the time.
7. Is there more uptake on mobiles over the desktop option? King and Venter: The app downloads have been the main driver of user growth since launch, but it's worth mentioning that our website is responsive, so users can view the website on their mobile phones regardless of operating system.
8. Explain how recipients could redeem it as a gift voucher. King and Venter: The gift cards on the app work just like traditional gift cards, so if you don't use the entire value of the gift card you'll have a balance that you can use on your next purchase. Simply go into the store and when you're ready to pay open your gift, hit "Get Gift Now" and you'll be issued with a QR code that is scanned at the till and the value is deducted from your gift card - it's that easy! The gift cards on Gift It help users avoid losing their gift cards and it's good for the environment because we got rid of the need for plastic gift cards.
9. How can retailers get involved? King and Venter: We always love to bring new partners on board. They can contact us on az.oc.titfig@ofni. You can also visit their Twitter account and Facebook page for more.
