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Verizon Lets Users Send Last-minute Gift Cards via Text

Text Messaging Featured Article

Verizon Lets Users Send Last-minute Gift Cards via Text

 
December 22, 2014

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By Alisen Downey,
TMCnet Web Editor


The holidays are filled with festivities, high spirits, and gatherings with loved ones from near and far. But the season wouldn’t be complete without at least a little bit of frantic, last-minute shopping. There is inevitably that one cousin or uncle or family member’s spouse that somehow slips through the cracks, only to be remembered just before the party where the non-existent gift will be exchanged.


Mobile and online shopping avenues have revolutionized the way consumers shop for the holidays, but if consumers don’t make their purchases in advance, the only convenience is in avoiding the throngs of shoppers in brick and mortar stores (and possibly scoring some Internet-exclusive sales). But there’s one technology that can merge the convenience of online shopping with the instant gratification of mobile communication: text messaging.

This season, Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless is giving holiday shoppers a chance to get that last-minute gift from their mobile device. The U.S. carrier recently announced that eGift gift cards are now available through Verizon’s Messages app. Users of this proprietary application will be able send text messages with Starbucks gift cards of $5, $10 or $25 to anyone, regardless of the recipient’s carrier. Those sending the gift card can also personalize them in the same way shoppers can with in-store gift cards: users can select a wallpaper and gift card icon, as well include a personal message—much like physical gift cards that come with an envelope on which to write a short message.

These eGift cards work much the same way regular gift cards do, equipped with a barcode that can be presented on their phone screens in-store and scanned directly. Alternatively, the gift card can be loaded into the recipient’s Starbucks app account.

“It’s been 22 years since ‘Merry Christmas’ was the first text message ever transmitted,” Verizon said while announcing the new eGift, and since then the text message has gone far. For businesses looking to creatively integrate text messaging into their strategies, offering services like eGift is a smart place to start. Holiday shopping doesn’t need to be a total inconvenience, even when it’s at the last minute, thanks to texting. 




Edited by Maurice Nagle
Text Messaging Homepage





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