Fanminder Blog

Wow, great day for Mobile Marketing. Starbucks officially launched its prepaid card as a virtual mobile iPhone application in all 1,000 stores and Target locations. In our view, they’ve nailed it:

• The application itself is easy to use
• The application has the most critical features – check balance, load new amounts, and pay by bar code swipe at the scanner
• Goodies and extras just for using it

This marks the final transition from “prepaid gift cards” to “mobile payments” that our industry has been waiting for. The brand name appeal of Target and Starbucks should create an irresistible appeal  to local, small merchants who need to get on this train.

Our only beef right now is the limited number of iPod and iPhone users relative to 285 million mobile subscribers. I’m sure Starbucks is working on Android and Blackberry apps and hopefully even a mobile web version.