Giftify Brings Data-Driven Gift Card Solutions to Malls Across the Middle East

BRINGS DATA-DRIVEN GIFT CARD SOLUTIONS TO MALLS ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST

Colin joined Giftify in October 2022 as the Head of Region and General Manager for MENA. With almost 30 years of experience in the financial sector, intimate knowledge of the gift card market in the Middle East, as well as a passion for customer experience and gift-giving, Colin is uniquely positioned to bring Giftify’s unparalleled service and martech solutions to MENA’s shopping centres.

COLIN DAVIDSON

HEAD OF REGION / GENERAL MANAGER – MENA GIFTIFY

Known across Europe as a leader in the gift card market, Giftify is now entering the Middle East and I am delighted to have joined them to bring their business to the region. Unlike other gift card programmes already operating in MENA, Giftify puts marketing first. All clients receive access to our MyPortal platform, a combination of intranet, card management, and data analytics allowing retail centres to not only sell cards with ease but also analyse the card usage and optimise in-centre marketing actions. Alongside this unique offering, Giftify prides itself on world-class customer support. Giftify never outsources – all support agents operating our phone lines are trained by Giftify and available during shopping centre operating hours to offer technical, purchase, and trouble-shooting support for centre staff. Card sales are available via a variety of POS options, though without a doubt the star of the line-up is the customisable RapidCard Slim vending kiosk with its easy-change side magnet panels and simple touch-screen user journey (upgraded version coming in early 2023). Of course, there is no replacement for the human touch – the RapidCard Fuse easily integrates card sales into existing info desks with three simple pieces of equipment: a payment terminal, a card reader, and any computer with a WiFi connection.

Giftify is also committed to CSR programming: let’s love planet earth, one gift card at a time!

Say hello to durable and high-quality eco-friendly gift cards! Did you know that over 7 billion payment cards are produced annually across the globe? The vast majority of these are made from virgin plastics or nonbiodegradable plastic materials. Replaced every three years, payment cards are collectively contributing to around 5.7 million tons of plastic in landfill. With an eye to United Nations Sustainable Development Group 2030 Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), Giftify has spent the last year working on the integration of a new line of gift cards to complement our current offering. Eco-friendly cards may be the future of cashless payments to help reduce excessive plastic pollution. Embracing green finance can be a great way to fight climate change and protect the environment.

Bouncing Back from the Pandemic: Retail

The Covid-19 pandemic has largely reshaped our behaviours and interactions in the last three years. It has transformed businesses and the overall service industry. As society returns to ‘normal’, shopping centres and retailers have the opportunity to make a fresh start and focus on innovating their user experience and growth. In the Middle East, many centres are investing heavily in their gift card programmes, as they are known to be a fantastic tool for consumer engagement and drive footfall into their assets. Gift cards occupy a large chunk of the global market amounting to around US$ 424.21 billion in 2022. This figure is expected to hit US$ 510 billion in 2025. The introduction of martech/fintech strategy into the gift card industry – the foundational premise of Giftify – creates a wealth of opportunities for shops and mall brands to boost consumer satisfaction and, by extension, sales. For more info, please visit www.giftify.me