Flex-e-card sets up for intu shoppers nationwide
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Flex-e-card, Europe’s leading provider of shopping centre gift cards, has signed a five-year deal with intu, the market leading shopping centre operator. The agreement builds on the strengths of the existing intu gift cards but with exciting new enhancements and future proofing, adding to a customer’s perfect shopping centre experience, both offline and online.
Tony Kerr, managing director of Flex-e-card, said: “We’re delighted to announce our partnership with intu, which reinforces our position as the market leader in the provision of gift card services to European shopping malls. We’re excited about the future of the gift card, loyalty and mobile payments markets. They are moving rapidly and there are tremendous opportunities to provide truly innovative mobile and digital gift products to intu customers.”
intu has more prime shopping centres in the strongest locations than anyone else in the UK and its gift card can be used at every retailer in every intu centre, from intu Braehead near Glasgow to intu Bromley in Greater London. With over 2,000 shops and restaurants in its centres, this gives plenty of choice. In addition, the cards can be bought and used to make purchases at intu’s virtual shopping centre, intu.co.uk, from early 2015.
The new gift cards are being launched in time for Christmas when, historically, half the gift cards sold in the UK retail industry during the year are purchased. Cards from intu can be loaded with any amount from £5 up to £1,000.
Roger Binks, customer experience director at intu, said: “We have used customer opinions from Tell intu, the UK’s only national shopping centre real-time, on-line customer feedback system, to enhance intu’s gift cards. By partnering with Flex-e-card, winner of the 2013 PayBefore Award for Best Gift Card Programme, we can offer customers the best-in-class gift card products and services, now and in the future.”
intu is introducing a number of Christmas incentives and promotions, adding to the benefits for customers. Cards purchased during November for more than £30 will receive free membership for one year of the Gourmet Society, worth £69.95, giving up to 50 per cent off meals at over 6,500 restaurants. This includes many of the restaurants at intu centres such as handmade burger Co., Strada, Prezzo and La Tasca.
Cards can be personalised online with a customer’s own downloaded photograph. Alternatively, a wide variety of eye-catching designs are available, including limited edition Christmas images. And to add a special touch, exclusive gift packaging is available, adding to the delight of unwrapping the present on Christmas Day.
The cards fit within intu’s technology strategy of creating the UK’s most digitally connected shopping centres giving customers a seamless online and offline experience. The agreement with Flex-e-card paves the way for the launch of mobile and digital gift products, allowing gifts to be sent, received and used in retailers’ stores safely & securely via mobile phones.
Cardholders benefit from the freedom to choose where and how much they spend, and can easily check their remaining balance through many routes, including at any customer service desk, online via a mobile phone and at a retailers’ point of sale.
