移动支付围剿塑料礼品卡

    林厄姆认为是苹果（Apple）在无意之中帮助Gyft的应用程序轻松进入了市场。苹果今年6月份预展其新版iOS6移动操作系统时，Passbook作为iPhone手机新配备的数字钱包功能得到强力推介。如果零售商想要跟上步伐——应对大量涌入商店的iPhone手机用户试图直接通过手机使用优惠券、积分卡或者兑奖券的话，那么零售商需要在技术方面做好准备。 三个月后推出的Gyft应用程序不再需要说服零售商接受通过智能手机进行支付的模式。林厄姆说：“苹果大大地解救了我们。他们使得我们不必再话力气让公众理解为什么这是一个很好的解决方案。”如果用户希望在一个地方看到自己所有数字钱包的话，他们可以利用Gyft应用程序，把礼品卡和Passbook绑定在一起。

    Gyft的数字礼品卡平台可以很好地与早已占据更广泛市场份额的其他数字钱包（比如谷歌钱包和维萨信用卡的V.me）融合在一起。鉴于Gyft与谷歌风投公司之间存在的关系，谷歌钱包可能会成为有意收购Gyft'的竞标者，这个推断符合逻辑，不过克劳斯对此不愿发表评论。移动支付公司Square本周早些时候宣布，将在其新版移动钱包应用程序Square Wallet中增加礼品卡服务。这项声明证明林厄姆的商业构想是有价值的，但也表明该领域目前的竞争有多么激烈。

    虽然这款应用程序以前是专为iPhone手机平台所独有，但Gyft本周推出了安卓版应用程序，而且希望从明年年初开始向用户提供一个桌面平台。（非iPhone用户仍然可以通过移动浏览器来使用Gyft）。林厄姆预想未来这款应用程序将会向零售商提供回馈客户的机会，方式是通过推送消息向客户发送礼品或者特别优惠券。随着各大公司在数字支付方面继续争取顾客的注意力，Gyft希望能在那些巨擘当中开拓出一片天地，一次消灭一张塑料礼品卡，逐步向前开拓。

    译者：iDo98

    Lingham credits Apple (AAPL) for unintentionally helping ease Gyft's product into the market. When Apple previewed its new iOS6 operating system in June, Passbook was highlighted as the iPhone's new digital wallet feature. If retailers wanted to keep up with an influx of iPhone users trying to use coupons, loyalty cards or tickets straight from their phone, retail technology would need to be ready. Gyft, launched three months later, no longer needed to convince retailers to accept payments via smartphone. "Apple saved us in a big way," says Lingham. "They saved us from having to educate the public on why this was a good solution." With Gyft, gift cards can be integrated with Passbook if users wish to see all of their digital wallet items in one place.

    Gyft's digital gift card platform could fit nicely into other digital wallets already claiming a broader hold on the market -- Google Wallet and Visa's V.me for example. Given Gyft's connection to Google Ventures, Google Wallet would be a logical suitor, although Kraus would not comment. Square Wallet, another mobile wallet offering, announced earlier this week that gift cards will now be part of its package. The announcement validates Lingham's business idea but demonstrates how crowded the space is.

    While the app was previously exclusive to iPhone, Gyft launched its Android application this week and hopes to provide users with a desktop platform beginning early next year. (Non-iPhone users can still use Gyft through a mobile browser.) In the future, Lingham envisions the app will provide retailers with the opportunity to reward customers by giving them gifts or unique coupons through push notifications. As companies continue to fight for customer attention when it comes to digital payments, Gyft hopes to carve out a place among the giants -- one plastic gift card at a time.