With an estimated 68 percent of Canadians now using smartphones, National Gift Card Corp., Crystal Lake, Ill., announced the expansion its successful U.S.-based proprietary application programming interface (API) to Canada where it will provide customers with electronic gift cards in real time.
Much like the U.S. version, the Canadian gift card API allows business-to-business program buyers and clients in the loyalty, rewards, incentive, benefit and membership industries to quickly integrate with National Gift Card Corp.’s gift card catalog and send e-gift cards in real time to program participants tapping into the reality that as many as 84 percent of smartphone users shop via their phones.
“Our real-time gift card API is an ideal solution for loyalty programs, survey participants, customers or employees who not only get their reward quickly, but also are able to shop right away,” Eric Thiegs, National Gift Card Corp. senior vice president, said. “This can be especially important for engaging millennials and tech-savvy users who expect a robust mobile experience.”
In addition to the increased speed advantage, the API also offers operational ease for rewards program administrators.
“With the API, we are able to send gift cards at any scale needed. At the same time, we are able to manage all of the real-time operational aspects of connecting with the retailers’ processors, activating the e-gift cards, and even helping to deliver the final e-gift cards via a branded program email to reward recipients,” said Joan Travelstead, National Gift Card Corp. chief technology officer.
National Gift Card Corp.’s gift card API augments its traditional plastic and digital gift card fulfillment solutions that currently service more than 2,000 business-to-business client accounts in the U.S. and Canada. Retailers such as Amazon, Bass Pro Shops, Groupon, WaySpa and Visa will be offered via the gift card API.
For more information, visit www.ngc-group.com.
