In a bid to become the mobile payment platform of choice, Bling Nation has launched a social media element to its contactless Bling Tag offering. Introduced in October 2010, FanConnect is a rewards and loyalty application that intertwines contactless payments, social marketing and the ubiquitous Facebook page.
A Bling Tag is a contactless chip that affixes to a user’s mobile device to enable payments at the point of sale. When a purchase is made at a Bling-enabled merchant, the phone is tapped against a reader to initiate the transaction. User’s wishing to go beyond the payment experience can register their tag with Facebook. Each Bling tap is then emblazoned on their Facebook page for all their friends to see–something that can help a merchant market to loyal customers and their friends.
With a Bling account, a user can make mobile payments, earn rewards, participate in loyalty programs and add a social media aspect to their purchasing behavior. Both customers and merchants can track purchases through a dashboard embedded in Facebook. Merchants can also send customers special offers and rewards via SMS or Facebook. “We’re using Facebook because (users) have an inbox and a treasure chest where offers exist,” says Matt Murphy, Bling Nation’s general manager for the Pacific region. “(Merchants) can create meaningful offers that give you a real discount.”
“We’re really trying to bridge this connection at the point of sale and use buzz and awareness to determine ROI. Businesses can advertise, but it’s hard to tie that into a return. With the redemption aspect, our platform is able to give them this,” says Murphy.
No consumer information is stored directly on the tag. “Each product creates dynamic code for the transaction and authentication,” Murphy says. “All information is stored in the cloud. No consumer information travels on our rails.”
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