Apple Wallet and Google Wallet — what you need to know

Your customers already have the app. It came installed on their phone, it holds their boarding passes and their train tickets, and they know how to use it. That is the whole point: there is nothing for you to make them install.

Two apps, one and the same gesture

On Android it’s Google Wallet. On iPhone it’s Apple Wallet — the same app as for plane tickets. The customer scans your QR code, a page opens, they tap "Add". Their loyalty card is in their phone.

The gesture is identical on both sides. The difference is invisible to them, and that’s exactly as it should be.

What the wallet does that a paper card never will

• Update itself. You add a stamp, the counter changes in their pocket. They have nothing to open.
• Show up at the right moment. The card can appear on the lock screen when they are near your shop.
• Never get lost. New phone, the card follows. Wallet left at home, the card is still there.

A customer who keeps their loyalty card in their wallet app holds on to it three times longer on average than a paper card.

What about customers without a smartphone?

They exist, and they are your regulars. Keep your paper cards for them — the two systems live side by side without trouble. Nobody is asking you to change everything overnight.