Nairobi, Kenya: Giift.com, world's largest gift card network, extends network into Kenya with eGiftAfrica

Gift Card and Loyalty Company Anticipates Quick Growth throughout Africa

Nairobi, Kenya (MMD Newswire) July 15, 2015 – Spearheaded by CEO Sharouk Jiwa, eGiftAfrica will be launching its services in Africa on a large scale, giving African businesses international exposure. eGiftAfrica has begun operations in Nairobi, Kenya, with plans to grow throughout Africa in the coming months.

Kenyans and the residents of numerous other African nations will soon have many more options to easily purchase gift vouchers and participate in retail loyalty programs, thanks to eGiftAfrica, part of Giift.com, the world’s largest loyalty and gift card network. That’s great news not only for consumers, but also for retailers in Africa and the world over who want to extend their brand into large, lucrative and previously underserved markets. eGiftAfrica was designed to eliminate the problems of “old-school,” cost-ineffective gift voucher and loyalty programs that were all but ineffective for many retailers in Africa.

“Africans are shopping more than ever before,” says Giift President Laurent Xatart, “and with famous brands coming into Africa, there is no better time to allow even the smallest retailer to benefit from having its own loyalty and gift card program, and to be exposed on an international level through the Giift network.”

Xatart and Jiwa have spent several months strategizing technology that will allow gift and loyalty programs to be set up almost effortlessly for African retailers, allowing consumers easy access to these programs on their mobile devices. “Investment in technology for implementation into the African market has played a big part in launching, but we have managed to make it easy and cost efficient for both retailers and consumers, using technologies like mobile phones, tablets and standalone web-based and mobile app POS systems,” Xatart explains.

Consumers will now have the ability to purchase an electronic gift card or voucher from their mobile device and email it to friends and family within seconds. “Your friend can go straight to the retailer and redeem the egift card,” says Jiwa. “No more waiting in line for paper vouchers to be printed.”

Retailers will be able to sell gift vouchers and cards straight from their web sites, and they can be purchased from anywhere in the world. “The possibilities are endless,” says Jiwa.

With over 4,500 loyalty and gift card programs in more than 50 countries, Giift currently has operations in the USA, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean, so Africa was a logical next step. Giift addresses a global market exceeding $900 billion USD and virtual currency, representing 1.4 million program members. The base is still immature, driven by online digital growth, regulation, synergies between payment and loyalty, and program exchanges. Africa, with its burgeoning consumer base in Kenya and beyond, will soon add to these numbers.

Xatart and Jiwa say that breaking into the African market presented a unique set of challenges. “When Giift was first launched in 2012, we solved a primary problem in our target market by allowing consumers to load and digitize all their plastic gift and loyalty programs into a single digital wallet – either a mobile phone or online dashboard,” Xatart explains. “The problem with old systems was that consumers had too many plastic loyalty and gift cards and it became a hassle to manage while shopping, and customers would forget the cards or not redeem their points. Our program eliminated that problem, and then we solved a second major issue by launching an exchange platform that allows members to easily exchange points, miles or gift card values from one program to another.”

“But the problem is a little different in Africa,” Jiwa adds, “because there are not enough gift and loyalty programs and it hasn’t been cost effective for retailers to implement these programs. Many retailers are still using old paper gift vouchers. Retailers and consumers can benefit heavily by utilizing an eGiftAfrica solution.”

For retailers, a loyalty program is a strong marketing tool for brand exposure and also to keep existing customers coming back and spending more. Consumers benefit from more shopping options as well as the value created by a strong loyalty program.

Xatart and Jiwa stated, “We are confident that eGiftAfrica will create value for the African market, for retailers and consumers alike.” We have big plans for Africa — and we want to put Africa on the retail map.”

Retailers or potential partners wishing to schedule a demo or learn more about the services can contact eGiftAfrica at [email protected]

For more information visit www.egiftafrica.com

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq6c2hwz730

Media Contact: Name: Sharouk Jiwa Email: [email protected] Phone: +254 707 440123 / +1 647 887 2389