ActivePath & Cardlytics Team for Targeted Offers in eStatements

ActivePath.jpg

Next up, ActivePath and Cardlytics did a joint demo of their eStatement delivery of merchant-funded targeted rewards:

“Offering bank customers an enhanced eStatement

Cardlytics.jpg

 experience using secure and interactive e-mail messaging to view, activate and otherwise interact with their targeted rewards with the full functionality found in electronic banking. Offers are embedded into relevant transactions using Cardlytics’ industry leading placement engine. Secure and interactive eStatement delivery is provided by ActivePath’s innovative ActiveMail solution.”

Product Launched: August 2011

HQ Location
  • ActivePath: New York, NY 
  • Cardlytics: Atlanta, GA 
Company Founded
  • ActivePath: 2007
  • Cardlytics: 2008  
Metrics
  • ActivePath: raised $6mm, 20 employees 
  • Cardlytics: raised $25mm, 80 employees, 70mm US households (Q1-12)
Website
Presenting Renan Levy (CEO, ActivePath), Jason Brooks (SVP Business Development, Cardlytics), & Denise Spell (Manager of Sales Engineering, ActivePath)

IMG_0972.JPG
IMG_0974.JPG

Cardlytics Signs Alliance with Groupe Aeroplan, Receives $33 Million

Cardlytics.jpgCardlytics, a consumer advertising startup which delivers targeted promotions within bank and credit card statements, announced a major strategic investment today:

“It has signed a long-term global strategic alliance with Groupe Aeroplan, a global leader in loyalty management. As part of the alliance, Groupe Aeroplan and existing investors are injecting an additional $33 million in capital to fund U.S. and International growth.”

Groupe Aeroplan is a loyalty management company that has a wide international presence and is hoping the alliance with Cardlytics will facilitate its expansion into the United States.

To learn more about Cardlytics, come see its live demo at FinovateFall later this month or watch its FinovateEurope 2011 demo.

Finovate Alumni Website Traffic in July

Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of Finovate alums using data from Web-analytics company Compete
Out of 255 alumni, 59 (23%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in July 2011 (see tables below). Of those, 19 (32%) had more visitors than in the previous month and 25 (42%) were flat. Year-over-year, 26 (44%) had an increase, 10 (17%) were flat, and 23 (39%) were down. 

Private Companies
Notable successes:
  • Seeking Alpha had the most traffic in July with more than 2 million unique visitors.
  • eToro saw the highest monthly growth percentage with 3 times the number of unique visitors in July compared to June.
  • Bundle had the highest increase in number of unique month-over-month visits, with 450,000 more visitors in July than in June.
  • eRollover had the highest percent year-over-year traffic increase, with 260,000 more visitors from last July. 
JulyWebTrafficPrivate6.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011
2. Sears Credit Score is powered by CreditKarma.com
3. Kasasa is powered by BancVue
Public Companies
Notable successes:
  • PayPal had the highest number of U.S. visitors in July, with more than 30 million visitors.
  • Jack Henry & Associates saw the highest monthly growth with twice as many visitors in July than June.
  • Wipro Technologies had the highest year-over-year growth, with 3 times as many visitors this year compared to last year.
  • FIS Global and Online Resources also doubled their traffic compared to last year. 
JulyWebTrafficPublic4.jpg
Source: Compete.com retrieved the week of August 15, 2011
1. The previous month recorded was May 2011.
_______________________________________________________
Notes:
1. We reviewed 255 Finovate alumni. Only those with at least 10,000 unique visitors in July are listed. 
3. NM = Not measurable
4. Compete estimates online visitors based on the activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic and may undercount at-work usage.

FinovateFall 2011 Sneak Peek: Part 2

FInFallLogo.jpgMore than 60 leading fintech innovators, both startups and established companies, are gearing up to present at the biggest Finovate ever, Sept. 20/21 in NYC.

Each company provided a sneak peek of what they’ll be demoing on stage next month. Below is the second installment of these teasers (see part 1 here). We’ll have more next week. 
Don’t miss your chance to see the live demo from each company and meet the execs responsible. Get your FinovateFall ticket here
_____________________________

Cardlytics.jpg

ActivePath.jpg

Customers use different communication channels throughout the day and expect the same from their FI. But to reach and interact with the greatest number of customers – and deliver reward value to both institutions and their customers – banks and reward vendors alike must fully support the growing range of channels: online, mobile, social, e-mail and more, while providing requisite security and privacy for email communications featuring sensitive data. 
Cardlytics & ActivePath combine powerful technology to personalize reward offers based on transaction data that can be securely delivered and transacted directly within interactive email, enabling customers to respond at their convenience, anytime, anywhere.
Innovation type: Cards, communications, rewards


Andera (2).jpg

Andera’s FortiFI product stops online new account fraud. It scans applications submitted online at over 500 institutions, discovering patterns used by fraud rings only visible on an industry-wide scale, and flags applications matching known patterns before an account is opened. 
FortiFI is available as part of Andera’s hosted account-origination solution and its Software Development Platform that gives developers “plug and play” access to the services and software components (e.g., ID verification, application risk management, funding risk management, funds transfer, etc.) used by Andera’s popular hosted online account-opening solution, reducing the time and cost to bring innovation to market.
Innovation type: identity, marketing, sales

Authentify.jpg

Online and mobile banking has created a new breed of cybercriminal. New forms of defense are needed.  
Authentify will unveil publicly for the first time, Authentify 2CHK. It is an app that will transform an end user’s mobile device into a secure transaction authenticator. The device becomes a defensive weapon in the battle against cybercrime. Authentify 2CHK is a natural extension of Authentify’s out-of-band technology and will help satisfy audit requirements for end user and transaction authentication spawned by FFIEC guidance updates.
Innovation type: Identity, payments, security

Thumbnail image for BillGuard.jpg

BillGuard is the world’s first antivirus for bills. This free, Web-based solution empowers consumers with the assurance of an unheard-of level of personal finance security. The easy-to-use service has already saved consumers more than $300,000 from unwanted or unauthorized charges.  
BillGuard aims to be the “seal of approval” that merchants and financial institutions display so consumers recognize that their accounts are protected and that all posted charges are accurate. In the future, it will be imperative to display a BillGuard badge to gain customers.
Innovation type: cards, identity, security


Bobber_Interactive.jpg

Gen Y embraces frugality and seeks “engagement banking” with rich, interactive online experiences around their $200 billion in income.
Bobber represents a profound shift in how Gen Y relates to their money, integrating the most effective social engagement mechanics for cost-efficient acquisition, sustained loyalty, and increased wallet share. Bobber’s cash-management tool simplifies daily spending and incentivizes goal achievement. Users engage in a highly interactive debit rewards program grounded in their personal savings goals.
Bobber’s technology is architected into the Facebook ecosystem for low-friction onboarding, social collaboration, and experiences tailored to users’ Facebook data.
Innovation type: banking products, cards, marketing, online UI

CarryQuote.jpg

CarryQuote IntelliCast is a private-labeled solution that allows you to securely deliver proprietary research and mul
ti-media content directly to your clients’ Apple, Android, BlackBerry, or Microsoft smartphones and tablets. 
Through CarryQuote’s unique, SaaS-based mobile technology platform, which offers compatibility across all five major mobile platforms, CarryQuote IntelliCast allows you to place a highly advanced, branded mobile application in your clients’ hands, and become their “go to” source for the latest financial research. Notably, this turnkey solution can be customized and deployed across all platforms in fewer than six weeks.
Innovation type: communications, investing, mobile and tablet UI

CarteraCommerce.jpg

Cartera Commerce is re-inventing the deal with card-linked offers. 
Cartera, the leading provider of card-linked marketing solutions, will unveil its solution that enables banks to tap the explosive growth of the local deals market popularized by daily deal sites.
For banks, issuers and loyalty programs, Cartera provides the industry’s most comprehensive card-linked offer platform powering personalized in-store and online shopping programs that build consumer engagement, maximize card spend and create new revenue streams. For merchants, Cartera powers the industry’s largest card-linked advertising network, targeting and tracking shopping offers to 150 million+ loyal consumers. 
Innovation type: cards, marketing, rewards

CashStar.jpg

CashStar, the preferred digital gifting and incentives partner for retailers and incentive partners, provides consumers with the most personal, compelling and convenient gifting experiences available. The only company to successfully combine an on-demand digital gifting and incentives platform with innovative multichannel marketing strategies, CashStar is changing the way rewards currency is exchanged from the digital world to the brick and mortar.
At FinovateFall 2011, CashStar will unveil a first-of-its-kind, location-based iPhone application that enables consumers to instantly turn credit card points into digital currency while they are in a participating retailer’s store.
Innovation type: cards, marketing, rewards

CreditSesame.jpg

How do you know whether to trust online profiles? Where do you turn for assurance or accountability? The ability to demonstrate financial ‘good sense’ would give you an invaluable edge to stand out and succeed in career, business and personal objectives.
At FinovateFall 2011, Credit Sesame, one of the Internet’s most trusted credit management sites — backed by global financial institutions and world-class science, technology and financial experts — will reveal how to get that “edge.”
Whether you’re applying for a new job, transacting commerce online, or interacting with someone on the Web for business or personal reasons, Credit Sesame can help.
Innovation type: identity, lending, PFM

DoughMain.jpg

You’ve seen it all: savings tools, financial games, virtual banks and so on. But these products have a limited reach with your customers. DoughMain is the first and only service to combine family coordination and financial education into one simple and convenient platform.  
Achieve a new level of engagement with your adult customers who have active families. Integrate your bank and financial service products in a completely new way and upsell your offerings to a lucrative market.
Innovation type: banking products, marketing, PFM
Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for FeeFighters.jpg

Samurai is the easiest and most elegant gateway on the market. It gives you ultimate flexibility at an affordable price.
With Samurai, you’ll be able to integrate payments on your site in minutes. Samurai boasts premium features such as intelligent routing, data portability, and gateway emulation. Send payments anywhere with Samurai — it’s universally compatible. Oh yeah, and that’s just a sneak peek at all that Samurai has to offer.
Innovation type: back office, payments, small business

Google.jpg

Google Advisor makes it fast, safe, and easy for consumers to find personal finance products. Google will be showing the latest version of Advisor and be available for conversations with potential partners who are interested in the platform.
Innovation type: banking products, online UI

IND_Group (1).jpg

IND Group “wow” innovation is a new online and mobile banking platform that has reinvented the way a bank can communicate with its customers. The platform’s simplicity and ease of use is underpinned by natural language and data visualization — key differentiators.
Easy-to-use main features are the account and transaction visualization, wizard-type money transfers and investments, zero-effort personal finance management, online sales engine and
the support center. IND Mobile banking is more than just the extension of online banking features, unique ergonomic design, user experience, security and the fact that it is always-online.
Innovation type: mobile and tablet UI, online UI, PFM

Kony.jpg

See Kony’s mobile commercial banking solution in action. It allows the corporate treasurer and executives to approve transactions from any mobile device, including tablets. 
Each user is able to view the transaction amount, date, account involved, the approval status of other users, and a memo. This speeds the process of approving transactions as well as tracking the progress. Plus, from the development perspective, the application is updated and deployed to any mobile device, mobile Web or tablet from a single application definition.
Innovation type: banking products, mobile and tablet UI
LearnVest.jpg

LearnVest believes that financial planning should not be a luxury.
LearnVest is making personal financial advice accessible and affordable to millions of Americans. The company does this by providing the content, tools and advice to help women get informed, get organized, and get support.  
LearnVest’s new My Money Center and the LearnVest Advice Center are the keys to this transformation. By helping members create everything from a personalized budget to a retirement savings plan, LearnVest empowers women to build their wealth and afford their dreams. Come learn more about the new LearnVest Method and see where the company is headed.
Innovation type: communications, PFM

MasterCard3.jpg

There’s a tremendous opportunity to gain share of cash and check spending by small businesses; if only business owners felt they could adequately delegate and manage the credit, debit or prepaid card spending of their employees. Now they can. 
MasterCard inControl Small Business Controller empowers small business owners to more confidently and securely delegate card spending to employees, improving expense control and helping to better manage cash flow. Small business owners can also create profiles with controls and alerts for each employee card and use virtual card numbers to shop more safely online.
Innovation type: cards, online UI, small business

miiCard.jpg

miiCard is a revolutionary digital passport. It enables users to prove their identity online to the same level of authority as a drivers license or passport would do offline. 
By creating trust in an environment characterized by anonymity and transient identities, miiCard will open up opportunities for business online and put Internet users back in control of their personal information on a global basis.
Innovation type: identity, payments, security

Offermatic .jpg

Retailers are constantly looking for new ways to increase sales.
Over US$20 billion is spent on consumer promotions each year, but while promotions can be effective, they are costly and reduce margins.
Offermatic already enables any merchant today to precisely target Offermatic members based on their actual spending history. Merchants can acquire guaranteed-new customers, who are already spending in the category, on a 100% pay-for-performance basis.
At FinovateFall 2011, Offermatic will announce its latest innovation. This new model will enable merchants to run a free promotion and grow sales at no cost!
See you on September 21st.
Innovation type: marketing, rewards, coupons, small business 

PayNearMe (2).jpg

PayNearMe offers a convenient payment option to individuals who prefer to make payments in cash, as well as the more than 60 million adults who are unbanked or underbanked. 
PayNearMe will demonstrate an easy and inexpensive way for these consumers to pay their rent and auto loans with cash at their local 7-Eleven store. And with our self-service portal, merchants of any size will soon be able to take advantage of this simple payment alternative.
Innovation type: payments

RobotDough.png

RobotDough will be presenting a new product that helps people protect their investments.
Innovation type: investing and asset management, PFM

Thumbnail image for Wall_Street_Survivor.jpg

Wall Street Survivor is relaunching at FinovateFall 2011 with a website that finally demystifies investing. Wall Street Survivor couples a real-time stock market simulator with content t
o create missions. 
The product helps users understand financial concepts, such as creating a virtual portfolio, how to manage it, and how to find good stocks, all in a fun and rewarding way. If you want to learn how to invest better, or just want more confidence when speaking to your financial advisor or stockbroker, then the new Wall Street Survivor is for you.
Innovation type: Investing and asset management

ActivePath & Cardlytics Partner to Offer Transaction-based Marketing in Email Statements

Last week, ActivePath and Cardlytics announced a joint marketing agreement that will combine

ActivePathLogo.jpg

ActivePath’s email banking technology with Cardlytics’ transaction marketing platform.
“With this partnership, banking customers can 
receive enhanced offer-carrying eStatements

Thumbnail image for CardlyticsLogo.jpg

 directly into their inbox to be viewed and transacted from within in the email message at their convenience without the need to log on to the bank’s website or download the statement. Additionally, this partnership will provide banks and retailers with the ability to utilize transaction-based marketing in the eStatement, a win-win solution that can help increase transaction volume, enhance customer relationships and generate new revenue.”
To learn more, watch ActivePath’s FinovateFall 2010 demo and the FinovateEurope demo from Cardlytics in 2011.

Alumni News — Week of July 11, 2011

AlumNewsIMG.jpg

Last week, AlwaysOn released its 2011 AlwaysOn Global 250 Top Private Companies List that represents the top emerging companies Worldwide. Twelve Finovate Alumni were selected:
  • BillFloat
  • Bling Nation
  • Boku
  • Cardlytics
  • ClairMail
  • Expensify
  • IDAnalytics
  • Lending Club
  • SecondMarket
  • Wikinvest
  • Wonga
  • Yodlee
_________________________________________________________________________
In other Alumni News:
Aptys Solutions

Aptys Solutions.jpg

Aptys Solutions announced that the ACH functionality in its PayLogics payment platform provides same-day settlement. Link 
Balance Financial
  • Balance Financial launched Balance Certified Pro, a new software that is geared toward professionals. Link
  • Balance Financial released an iPhone App. Link
BillGuard
TechCrunch reported that BillGuard’s “Anti-virus for Bills” is now completely free for users. Link
BrightScope
CNNMoney’s article, Simplify Your Retirement Savings, pointed to BrightScope to provide a clear understanding of retirement savings. Link
ChargeSmart
ChargeSmart announced that its Bill Payments customers can now pay many of their utility bills with an American Express card. Link
Continuity Control
Continuity Control raised $1.1 million in financing from convertible promissory notes and warrants. Link
Cortera

cortera.jpg

The Miami Herald reported that Cortera’s Risk Data and Reporting is now an SAP-endorsed business solution. Link
Cortal Consors
Institutional Investor ranked Oliver Le Grand, CEO of Cortal Consors, number 13 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link
Credit Karma
Credit Karma’s new feature, Credit Alerts is available for free to the first 200 people to click the link. Link
Credit Sesame
The Hands On Home Buyer blog recommended Credit Sesame for its interactive property taxes tool. Link
Currensee
The Business Insider reported that Currensee plans to launch its Trade Leaders program in China. Link
Dwolla
  • The E-News publication, Business Record, commented on Dwolla’s positive impact on Iowa’s startup culture. Link
  • Financial Plus Credit Union adopted Dwolla’s FiSync integration. Link
Dynamics
Dynamics revealed its angel investors in Series A and Series B funding rounds. Link
Guardian Analytics
  • American Banker reported that Guardian Analytics is planning to launch an outsourced fraud prevention service that will help financial institutions meet new FFIEC guidelines. Link
  • Guardian Analytics introduced its FraudDESK service to provide fraud analytics support to financial institutions. Link
  • Guardian Analytics is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday that will explore FFIEC guidance. Link
iPay Technologies
iPay Technologies helped Generations Community Federal Credit Union increase bill pay adoption and its number of transactions. Link
Lending Club
  • San Francisco ABC News Channel 7 explained the benefits of P2P loans from Lending Club. Link
  • Finextra news blog discussed Lending Club’s success. Link
  • American Banker reported that, in June, Lending Club saw an increase of 7% in loans originated that totaled a record $20 million. Link
Lodo Software
The Silicon Prairie News reported that Lodo Software is seeking to raise $5 million in a round of Series D funding. Link

mFoundry
Columbia Credit Union announced that it deployed mFoundry’s mBanking, a mobile banking platform. Link
Mitek

mitek.jpg

MSN Money reported that Mitek Systems began a NASDAQ market listing on July 14th, and is trading under the symbol MITK. Link
Monitise 
  • CNBC reported that Monitise’s ReliaCard will be offered to U.S. Bank’s Visa cardholders in some states. Link
  • Monitise, US Bank, and FIS announced that they are planning to offer a mobile app for Visa’s ReliaCard users. Link
Prosper
  • San Francisco’s ABC News Channel 7 explained the benefits of P2P loans from Prosper. Link
  • Finextra news blog discussed Prosper’s success with its P2P lending service. Link
Q2ebanking
Q2ebanking’s director of security solutions, Ward Howell, published an article detailing a Credit Union’s perspective of the FFIEC guidelines in The Credit Union Ti
mes. Link
Receivables Exchange
Institutional Investor ranked Justin Brownhill and Nicolas Perkin, Co-Founders of The Receivables Exchange, as number 42 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link
Standard Chartered
Institutional Investor ranked Jan Verplancke, CIO of Standard Chartered, as number 37 of 50 in its Tech 50 ranking of financial tech leaders and innovators. Link
TILE Financial

TILE Financial.jpg

Daily Finance interviewed Amy Butte, CEO of TILE Financial. Link
TradeKing
TradeKing announced the public availability of its API. Link
Tyfone 
CoVantage Credit Union chose to implement Tyfone’s mobile wallet solution. Link
Zopa 
  • Zopa founder Giles Andrews was interviewed on BBC’s The Bottom Line. Link
  • Finextra news blog discussed Zopa’s success as a P2P lending service. Link

PayPal and Cortera Take Charge in May’s Web Traffic

Each month we survey the Web-traffic performance of our alums, using data from Web-analytics company Compete to review the sites they operate. 

Out of 255 alumni, 62 (24%) had more than 10,000 unique U.S. visitors in May 2011 (see tables below). Of the 62 reviewed, 25 (40%) had fewer visitors than in the previous month and 28 (45%) saw a decline year-over-year.

Private Companies
The 44 private companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

  • Cortera saw the highest number of unique U.S. visitors in May, with almost 2 million hits.
  • HelloWallet experienced the greatest month-over-month growth, with more than four times as many visitors.
  • Betterment saw its traffic increase an impressive 38 times from May of last year.

Private Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for May2011PrivateWebTraffic.jpg





Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

Public Companies
The 18 public companies are as follows:

Notable successes:

  • PayPal experienced the highest number of U.S. visitors in May, with over 32 million visitors.
  • TransUnion Interactive saw the highest month-over-month growth with more than two times the number of visitors in May than in April.
  • Sybase 365 experienced the highest year-over-year growth, with its traffic up almost 80% from last year.

Public Finovate Alumni With More Than 10,000 Unique Visitors in May 2011 

May2011PublicWebTraffic.jpg

Source: Compete.com retrieved June 29, 2011

_____________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

1. We reviewed 255 unique sites. Data was unavailable or irrelevant for 201 sites because: 

  • They had been acquired.
  • They were no longer available online.
  • They were not covered by Compete for various reasons (including some that were not U.S. domestic companies).
  • The number of unique visits was too small to be considered accurate.
  • They were subdomains of larger websites.

2. Numbers have been rounded to three significant digits.

3. The charts include companies that did not have measurable traffic in May 2011, indicated by “N/A.”

4. Compete draws its information from the online activity of a panel of more than 2 million U.S. Internet users. It is only an estimate of traffic, and may undercount at-work usage.

Alumni News — Week of April 4, 2011

To see our Alumni companies’ updates in real time, follow us on Twitter

eWise officially relocates from Australia to Denver, Colorado. http://bit.ly/finovate44114
Fiserv and Cardlytics partner for merchant-funded in-statement rewards. http://bit.ly/finovate45112.   See last month’s Online Banking Report for more info.
Southwest Louisiana Credit Union joins Kasasa with fun and games on April Fools’ Day. SLCU has served the Lake Charles, LA, region since 1952. http://bit.ly/finovate45111 
Mint introduces mobile advice for iPhone. The feature will come to the Android app this summer. http://bit.ly/finovate44111
SmartyPig launched a free mobile app for Android. http://bit.ly/Finovate44112
Follow the markets through the StockTwits blog network. Users can follow more than 40 profiles in StockTwits network. http://bit.ly/finovate45113

Alumni News — Weeks of March 7, 13 and 21, 2011

To view our alumni news updates in real time, follow us on Twitter

Andera adds its 500th customer. http://bit.ly/finovate322116
Bill Harris and Mark Goines join the Pageonce Advisory Board. Harris was formerly CEO of Intuit and of PayPal, and Goines was formerly a senior executive at Intuit and Charles Schwab. http://prn.to/finovate322111
Bill.com named to the JMP Securities “Hot 100.” The list includes the 100 best privately held software companies for 2011 according to the investment bank. http://bit.ly/finovate38113
BillShrink adds Anil Arora, Yodlee president and CEO, to its board of directors. The announcement comes just after the launch of “Statement Rewards” from BillShrink. http://bit.ly/finovate322112
Boku moves from virtual-goods billing to real-goods billing in Germany. Now real goods can be added to wireless bills thanks to Boku’s technology. http://bit.ly/finovate324112
Cardlytics wins Judge’s Choice Award in the 2011 Paybefore Awards. The Paybefore  awards are hosted annually by Prepaid Media. http://bit.ly/finovate38111
CashEdge signs Huntington for P2P PopMoney. http://bit.ly/finovate322117
Check out the Filene webinar with Thwakk on how to leverage financial education to increase youth membership. http://bit.ly/finovate322113
Columbus Water Works customers can now pay their utility bill via eWise’s secure payment platform. http://yhoo.it/finovate37113
Cedit Sesame closes on $6.15 million Series B funding round led by Melo Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate322118
eToro launches “Trade Story.” This social platform helps traders learn the strategies behind other users’ trades. http://bit.ly/hQNDGc
Expensify is featured in Money magazine. http://bit.ly/finovate322114
Guardian Analytics raises $11 million. This is Guardian’s fourth round of funding, this time led by Split Rock Partners. http://bit.ly/finovate323113
H&R Block and Yodlee partner to make it easier to file taxes. http://yhoo.it/finovate3236
ICICI and Intuit partner on a Mint-like platform for India. http://bit.ly/finovate324113

South Carolina Federal Credit Union Launches In-Statement Merchant-Funded Rewards

image

imageIf you are looking for an example of how to promote your rewards program, take a lesson from 140,000-member South Carolina FCU. The company just launched an in-statement merchant-funded rewards program called Simple Perks (press release) for its 58,000 online banking customers.

The CU posted a great 2-minute video showing how the program works (see second screenshot). It also posted a quality supporting blog entry, "Are you a ‘clipper’ or ‘clicker’ (note 1).

The new rewards program is delivered through the CU’s PFM dashboard powered by Intuit’s Personal FinanceWorks (see third screenshot). The rewards program is powered by Cardlytics, an Atlanta-based startup we’ve written about several times (previous posts).

Bottom line: Regardless of whether you personally think rewards programs pollute the online banking experience, this is a genie that’s not going back in the bottle. Targeted advertising based on spending behavior is too lucrative to ignore.

It reminds me of the advent of keyword advertising on search engines. At the time, there was concern that the technique, based on actual user queries, was an invasion of privacy. It may have been, but it’s worked pretty well for Google, and most users benefit from the well-targeted ads as well.

We are pretty confident the same scenario will play out with debit and credit card statements (note 1). As long as offers are relevant, unobtrusive, and probably opt-in, the majority of customers will like them and the rest will tolerate them.

South Carolina FCU homepage with six mentions of rewards (10 March 2011)

image

Simple Perks landing page with great demo video (link)

South Caroline FCU Simple Perks landing page with great demo video

Simple Perks rewards module is highly visible within online banking

Simple Perks rewards module is highly visible within Intuit Personal FinanceWorks online banking

——-

Note:
1. Side note: This is how to blog about something new. Author Troy Hall doesn’t just repeat the press release, he tells a story to make it interesting and relevant. (I would lose the salesy…"life simplified" line at the end, but that’s just being picky).  
2. For more info, see latest Online Banking Report on merchant-funded rewards.  

New Online Banking Report Published: Merchant-Funded Rewards Programs

image While I like a deal as much as the next person (note 1), I’ve never been much of a coupon clipper. To me, coupons are a hassle to collect, impossible to organize, and mildly embarrassing to redeem. 

But I love frequent flyer miles. Once registered, they pile up automatically, are maintained at the airline or card site, and there is no stigma to redeeming them. However, miles are pretty worthless unless you spend a lot and have the flexibility to use them during the off season.

That’s why financial rewards programs have moved away from a sole reliance on airline miles and towards broader programs with cash and merchandise rewards. However, with falling fee revenues, especially interchange, these programs are becoming harder to justify cost-wise.

But customers have grown to expect them, especially the big-spending households that drive banking and card profits (note 3). And this is not a time when you want to irritate a lucrative segment of your customer base.

What to do?

imageEnter a new breed of loyalty program called “merchant-funded rewards.” Instead of financial institutions buying goods and services to give away, the system is turned around. Merchants pay direct cash rebates to your customers. And they may even pay you for the privilege of giving away money.

The catch? Because the cash-back offers are targeted to customers who shop at the competition, merchants need actual cardholder-level spending data to make the right offer, e.g., a $25 rebate offer to Home Depot customers who come to Lowes and spend at least $50 on your card (note 2). And to boost awareness, they need to plug directly into your online banking and statements. 

Making this work takes sophisticated integration between spending data and merchant offers. Enter an important new vendor in the banking world: the rewards service provider. In the report, we look at the five biggest, each with 100 or more financial institution clients:

  • Access Development
  • Affinity Solutions
  • Cardlytics
  • Cartera Commerce (recently merged with Vesdia)
  • RewardsNow

While these companies have the early lead, clever newcomers are creating their own hybrid programs connecting APIs with ad-serving and social networks. It’s a wide-open field with dozens of players, including Finovate alums Billeo, BillShrink, Micronotes, and Segmint as well as others such as Clovr Media, DBG Loyalty, EDO Interactive, and OffermaticMasterCard and Visa also have rewards programs that issuers can plug in to.

____________________________________________________________________________

About the report
______________________________________________________________________________

Merchant-Funded Rewards Programs (link)
Rewards 2.0: Turning a money pit into a profit center

Author: Daniel Thomas, principal consultant, Mindful Insights

Editor: Jim Bruene, editor & founder, Online Banking Report

Published: 28 Feb. 2011

Length: 32 pages

Cost: No extra charge for OBR subscribers, $495 for everyone else (here)

—————————————————–

Notes:
1. Probably more, as the son of a frugal Iowan (thanks Dad!)
2. Of course, private cardholder data is not revealed to merchants or service providers. It’s done through computer matching programs.
3. According to COLLOQUY, the average U.S. household is enrolled in 18 rewards programs, and nearly a quarter of those are financial.

Alumni News — Weeks of January 24, 31, and February 7, 2011

To see Finovate alumni company news in real-time, follow our feed on Twitter here.


Betterment and Mint.com partner for “set it and forget it” investment accounts. The accounts have no minimum balance. http://bit.ly/finovate210111

Bling Nation rolls out the “fan connect” platform in Chicago. The Chicago rollout is part of a broader national rollout to come. http://bit.ly/finovate210112

Cardlytics and NetSpend partner to bring reward offers to the underbanked. The partnership will create opportunities for targeted offers to reach users of prepaid debit cards. http://bit.ly/finovate28112

Cardlytics wins Red Herring Global 100 winner. — Cardlytics is a pioneer in in-statement merchant-funded rewards. http://bit.ly/finovate27114

CashEdge and NYCE join forces to provide person to person payment technology. Popmoney will now be available to 3,000 NYCE financial institution clients. http://bit.ly/finovate211112

ClairMail announced that revenue tripled in 2010. The company attributes the growth to the launch of their mobile connectivity architecture in early 2010. http://mwne.ws/finovate28115

DebtGoal launches OWEing.com. The new site acts as the flagship domain and provides a tools and content supporting debt reduction. http://bit.ly/finovate131112

eRollover launches Advisor Center. Ask retirement questions online in the new Advisor Center. http://bit.ly/finovate124112

Fiserv and WorkLight partner to make mobile application deployment and development faster. http://bit.ly/finovate125111

Frost and Sullivan names mFoundry “Entrepreneurial Company of the Year” in the mobile banking category. http://bit.ly/finovate121114

Guardian Analytics announces 150%  growth. The company attributes the rapid growth to the success of its FraudMap technology. http://bit.ly/finovate210113

Jack Henry’s ProfitStars.com launches new services to help small businesses accept online payments. http://bit.ly/finovate211111

Lending Club increased the maximum loan amount from $25,000 to $35,000. http://bit.ly/finovate27113

mFoundry launches standalone mobile deposit solution that can be implemented at a financial institution within 30 days. http://bit.ly/finovate28114

Intuit’s Mint and TurboTax team up to make taxes easier. http://bit.ly/finovate121111

Mozo launches Money Q & A portal where users can ask questions or answer questions posed by others. http://bit.ly/finovate211113

On Deck Capital secures $15 million Series-C funding. The funding round was led by SAP Ventures. http://bit.ly/finovate131111

Plastyc closes $2 million strategic investment from Core Innovation Capital. Core Innovation Capital is the investment partner for the Center for Financial Services Innovation. http://bit.ly/finovate28111http://www.silvertailsystems.com/

Silver Tail Systems announces the addition of a user-specific monitoring system. http://bit.ly/finovate124111

SmartyPig.com adds sixty new online retailer cash-back partners, and six more gift card partners. Expedia, Hotels.com, Cabela’s and Babies R Us are included in this latest offering. http://bit.ly/finovate131113

SmartyPig’s cash rewards card wins Paybefore award twice. http://bit.ly/finovate12112

The Receivables Exchange partners with Biz2Credit, an online loan-matching portal. http://bit.ly/finovate125113