In today's mobile-first world, Apple and Google Wallet have become powerful tools for businesses to connect with their customers. From loyalty programs and membership cards to coupons and event tickets, mobile passes offer a seamless and convenient way to engage users. But the magic behind these passes lies in the data that fuels them. This article explores the various methods of data collection and pass creation, empowering you to leverage the full potential of Apple and Google Wallet.
Data Collection
The Foundation of Personalized Experiences
Effective pass creation begins with robust data collection. Understanding your customers' preferences and behaviors allows you to create highly relevant and personalized pass experiences, driving engagement and loyalty. There are several avenues for gathering this crucial information:
Existing CRM Data
If you already have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in place, you're likely sitting on a goldmine of valuable data. Leverage this existing information to create personalized passes for specific customer segments.
Point-of-Signup Collection
The moment a customer interacts with your brand – whether it's signing up for a loyalty program, registering for an event, or redeeming a coupon – is a prime opportunity to collect data. Integrate data collection seamlessly into your signup process to capture essential information like name, email address, preferences, and more.
Progressive Profiling
Don't overwhelm customers with lengthy forms upfront. Instead, employ progressive profiling, gradually collecting information over time as they interact with your brand. This approach ensures a smooth and user-friendly experience while still gathering valuable data.
Third-Party Integrations
Explore integrating with third-party platforms that can provide additional insights into customer behavior and preferences. This can enrich your data and enable even more targeted pass creation.
Pass Creation
From Data to Digital Experience
Once you've collected the necessary data, the next step is to create and distribute your mobile passes. Several methods cater to different needs and workflows:
Real-time Pass Issuance
For a truly seamless experience, consider real-time pass creation. When a customer signs up for a program or makes a purchase, their pass can be generated and delivered instantly. This immediate gratification enhances the user experience and reinforces engagement.
This is automatically achieved if you use PassKit's Enrollment Forms, which are designed to capture the necessary information and trigger pass creation in real-time. By integrating these forms directly into your website or app, you can automate the entire process, from data capture to pass delivery, ensuring a smooth and frictionless experience for your customers. This eliminates any delay between signup and pass availability, maximizing the impact of your mobile pass program.
CRM-Triggered Pass Creation
Your CRM can also be the engine for pass creation. Set up triggers based on specific customer actions or events. For example, when a customer reaches a certain spend threshold the CRM then communicates to PassKit to generate and distribute the pass.
Batch Pass Creation
Batch creation is a powerful tool for generating multiple passes simultaneously. This is particularly useful for large-scale events, membership drives, or promotional campaigns. You can import a CSV file containing the necessary data for each pass, and PassKit will generate them in bulk.
However, a critical consideration for batch creation is the ability to update passes in the future. If you anticipate needing to modify or update these passes (e.g., changing loyalty tiers, updating event details, or issuing new coupons), you must include a unique identifier (external ID) for each pass.
This unique identifier acts as a bridge between your data source (e.g., your CRM) and PassKit. Common examples of unique identifiers include:
Email Address: Often a reliable and readily available identifier.
Phone Number: Another strong option, especially if mobile numbers are unique in your system.
Unique Membership Number: Ideal for membership or loyalty programs.
Custom Unique ID: If you have a separate system for generating unique IDs, you can use these.
Pass ID: PassKit automatically generates a unique identifier (Pass ID) when a pass is created. To use this ID for future updates, you would need to implement a process to retrieve the Pass ID after creation and then update your CRM system with this value.
Without a unique identifier, updating passes created via batch import becomes significantly more difficult, often requiring manual updates for each individual pass.
This defeats the purpose of batch creation and can be incredibly time-consuming.
Why are Unique Identifiers Essential for Updates?
PassKit needs a way to distinguish one pass from another. The unique identifier allows the platform to:
Locate the Correct Pass: When you want to update a pass, PassKit uses the unique identifier to find the specific pass that needs modification.
Link Other Data Source to Passes: If you want to automate pass updates by connecting your CRM, or other applications, to PassKit, the unique identifier is the key that allows your system to identify which pass corresponds to a particular customer record.
Best Practices for Batch Pass Creation and Updates:
Plan Ahead: Before importing your CSV, carefully consider which field will serve as the unique identifier.
Consistency is Key: Ensure that the unique identifiers in your CSV are consistent with the identifiers in your CRM or other data source.
Data Integrity: Double-check your data for accuracy before importing. Errors in the unique identifier field can lead to problems with future updates.
By incorporating unique identifiers into your batch pass creation process, you'll ensure that you can easily manage and update your passes in the future, maximizing the effectiveness of your mobile pass program.
SmartPass Links
PassKit's SmartPass Link feature provides a convenient way to generate URLs that can contain personalized data that can be used to create a pass, without having to utilize PassKit APIs.
With SmartPass Links, you can generate an unlimited number of links without the need to create a pass record in the PassKit database. This means that any SmartPass link you create will not count towards your pass volume subscription. It is completely free.
When you create SmartPass links, PassKit generates a CSV file containing unique, encrypted links. This CSV will be emailed to the PassKit account holder. These links are not stored within your PassKit account. Think of PassKit as the generator of the links, not the storage for them. You must download and securely store this CSV file. Distributing the correct SmartPass link to each individual is your responsibility. The actual mobile pass is only created after someone clicks their unique link.
Minimum Data Requirements for Pass Creation
The minimum amount of data that must be collected in order to create a pass is the information that you want to display on the pass. For example, if your pass template has first name and last name on it, then you must collect both first name and last name. If you do not collect both first name and last name, then the pass will either not be created or the field will be empty. Similarly, if your membership pass has a mandatory profile image on it, then you must collect the profile image of the member in order to create the pass.
It is important to note that there may be additional data requirements. For example, if you are using the PassKit Welcome Email service you will need to collect the person's email address even if that is not displayed on the pass.
Here are some tips for collecting the minimum data requirements for pass creation:
Review your pass template carefully to identify all of the fields that are displayed on the pass.
Make sure that you have a process in place to collect all of the required data fields.
If you are using a third-party data collection provider, check their documentation to see if they have any additional data requirements (like double opt-in).
By following these tips, you can ensure that you collect all of the necessary data to create passes that are both informative and visually appealing.
Conclusion
Embracing the Power of Mobile Passes
Apple and Google Wallet passes offer a powerful way to connect with your audience. By strategically collecting data and leveraging flexible pass creation methods, you can create personalized and engaging experiences that drive customer loyalty and boost business outcomes. Embrace the power of mobile passes and unlock a new level of customer engagement.