Myer, JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith are among the brands signing on for a new app created by Pollen, designed to solve all your gift card woes.
The Sydney-based digital agency has created the platform, Prezee, which digitises gift cards on a smartphone app, just in time for the Christmas rush.
The mobile app is 10 months in the making and already has big retailers such as department store Myer, Cue, Kathmandu, Oxfam, Move and Veronika Maine on board, with more to be announced soon.
Prezzee aims to solve three key issues with traditional, plastic gift cards: it is instantaneous, it is always with you making it easier to redeem the cards and it's secure. It also allows users to re-gift unwanted gift cards if they don't want to use them.
For brands, Prezzee is marketing itself as a new distribution channel to built brand visibility and boost sales.
The app is a partnership between Pollen and a startup founded by husband and wife team, Matt Hoggett and Claire Morris.
It is one of several startup partnerships by the agency, with more products currently in development and another likely to be launched before the close of the year.
“As a start-up, we knew we needed to find the right developers to bring this concept to life,” Morris said.
“Pollen has been a really collaborative, hands-on partner in designing the platform and app that digitises the gift card experience for the smart phone world.”
Pollen director Brett Mitchell told AdNews the agency is increasingly eyeing more product and business development which aligns well with the innovation and startup world.
“It's a really interesting space to be in,” Mitchell said. “We're all fairly technical people and we've always had a technology bent.
The Prezzee app is currently available on the iTunes app store with an Android version to be released next year.
Mitchell said going forward he sees the agency moving more into the technology and product space, which means more collaborations with startups.
“Business design is really a focus for us and that very much aligns with startups,” Mitchell said.
“It's the same thing really; coming in and designing their platform or their brand identity and helping them take it to market. It's a very big part of the future for us.
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