Introduction
For agencies looking to leverage the power of mobile wallet technology for their clients, PassKit offers a robust and streamlined platform. By managing all your client projects within a single PassKit account, you can benefit from aggregated volume pricing, centralized management, and a suite of tools designed to enhance customer engagement.
This guide will walk you through the essential steps to get started with PassKit as an agency, from initial setup to strategic client implementation.
Step 1: Sign Up for Your PassKit Agency Account
The first step is straightforward: sign up for your PassKit account. This will be your central hub for all client projects.
Visit the PassKit signup page
Go to https://app.passkit.com/signup to create your agency account.
Centralized Management & Billing
Remember, with an agency account, you'll manage all digital pass campaigns for your end-clients within this single, centralized PassKit account. This means you'll receive one consolidated invoice from PassKit for all your projects and their combined pass volume, which helps you reach higher volume tiers faster for lower per-pass rates. You then manage the billing directly with your individual clients.
No Direct Client Logins
It's important to note that your clients (the brands) will not directly log into the PassKit portal in this model. Your agency acts as the central hub for all managed projects, providing a seamless, managed service to your clients.
Step 2: Familiarise Yourself with Apple and Google Wallet Features and Constraints
Before you start designing, it's crucial to understand the capabilities and limitations of Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. This knowledge will inform your design choices and help you set realistic expectations for your clients.
Key Features
Learn about the types of passes supported (loyalty cards, coupons, membership cards, event tickets, boarding passes, etc.), dynamic updates, location-based notifications, push notifications, and the various fields available for personalization.
Design Guidelines
Apple and Google have specific design guidelines to ensure a consistent and positive user experience within their respective wallets. Familiarizing yourself with these guidelines will help you create passes that are both visually appealing and functional.
Technical Constraints
Understand the technical aspects, such as image sizes, character limits for text fields, and how data is passed to and from the wallet.
For a detailed breakdown of Apple Wallet and Google Wallet features and constraints, please refer to our Inspire Section in the Help Center.
Dive into our Help Center's Inspire Section. Mastering this knowledge now means designing killer passes and giving your clients top-notch advice later. It's an investment that pays off big time.
Step 3: Start Experimenting with Designing Different Pass Types
Once you have a grasp of the wallet features, it's time to get hands-on. PassKit's intuitive design tools allow you to experiment and bring your creative visions to life.
Utilize the PassKit Designer
PassKit offers a visual editor with drag-and-drop functionality and templates to help you design passes without needing to write code.
Experiment with Different Pass Types
Don't limit yourself to one type of pass. Try creating:
Loyalty Cards: Design a tiered loyalty program with points tracking and reward redemption.
Coupons: Explore various coupon designs, different expiry settings, and try out the no POS redemption solution.
Membership Cards: Create digital membership cards with unique IDs, membership tiers, and expiration dates.
Event Tickets: Design tickets with seat numbers, event details, and scannable barcodes.
Brand Alignment
Practice customizing passes to align with different brand guidelines, incorporating logos, brand colors, and relevant imagery.
Dynamic Fields
Understand how to use dynamic fields to personalize passes with customer data.
Step 4: Map Your Clients' Processes for Pass Issuance, Usage, and Updates
A successful mobile wallet strategy goes beyond just creating a pretty pass. It requires a deep understanding of your client's existing processes and how passes will integrate into their customer journey.
Pass Issuance
How will the pass be delivered to the end-user? Consider options like:
Email or SMS: Sending a link directly to the customer's device.
Website Integration: Allowing customers to add the pass from a webpage.
QR Codes: Generating QR codes for in-store or event distribution.
CRM/POS Integration: Automating pass creation upon a specific action (e.g., new customer signup, purchase).
Will a pass contain personalized information (e.g., name, expiry date, membership number)? If so, where will this data come from? (e.g., CRM, loyalty program database, e-commerce platform, manual input)
Pass Usage
How will the pass be used by the customer and your client's staff?
Redemption: Will it be scanned at a point-of-sale, presented at an event, or used online?
Data Capture: What data needs to be captured when the pass is used (e.g., points earned, coupon redeemed)?
Staff Training: Consider how your client's staff will be trained to handle pass redemptions and customer inquiries.
Pass Updates
How will passes be updated with new information or changes?
Real-time Updates: For loyalty points, membership status changes, or event time modifications.
Push Notifications: Sending targeted messages to customers' lock screens when a pass is updated or a relevant event occurs (e.g., approaching store location, new offer).
Automated Triggers: Integrating with existing systems to automatically update passes based on predefined rules.
Step 5: Explore Integration Options
PassKit offers various integration methods to seamlessly connect with your clients' existing systems. This is often where agencies can provide significant value.
No-Code Automations (Zapier, Make)
For simpler integrations, explore platforms like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat) that allow you to connect PassKit with thousands of popular apps without writing any code. This is ideal for automating workflows like:
Enrolling new members from a CRM.
Sending welcome emails with a pass link.
Updating loyalty points based on sales data.
PassKit API & SDKs
For more complex or custom integrations, PassKit provides a powerful API and Software Developer Kits (SDKs). This offers maximum flexibility to:
Develop custom applications that interact with PassKit.
Integrate directly with client CRM, POS, or loyalty systems for real-time data flow.
Automate pass personalization and updates at scale.
Build bespoke solutions for unique client needs.
Webhooks
Set up webhooks to receive real-time updates from PassKit when a pass is created, updated, uninstalled, or deleted. This allows for immediate synchronization with your client's systems.
Pre-built Integrations
Check for any pre-built integrations PassKit offers with popular platforms relevant to your clients (e.g., Mailchimp, CodeReadR).
Step 6: Plan Your Agency's Value-Added Services
With PassKit, you can offer more than just pass creation. Consider how your agency can provide additional value to your clients.
Consultation & Strategy
Help clients develop comprehensive mobile wallet strategies tailored to their business goals.
Design & Branding Services
Offer expert design services to create stunning and on-brand passes.
Integration Services
Provide technical expertise to integrate PassKit with clients' existing systems.
Campaign Management
Manage ongoing mobile wallet campaigns, including pass distribution, updates, and performance monitoring.
Analytics & Reporting
Leverage PassKit's analytics features to provide clients with insights into pass usage, redemption rates, and customer behavior.
Training & Support
Train your clients' teams on how to effectively use and manage their digital passes.
White-Labeling Options
Explore PassKit's white-labeling features to present the solution entirely under your agency's or your client's brand for distribution links, data collection pages, and delivery emails (additional fees may apply for some features, but the digital passes themselves are fully white-labeled).
Conclusion
By following these steps, your agency can effectively get started with PassKit, streamline client management, offer a valuable new service, and unlock significant cost savings through aggregated volume pricing. For any specific questions about setting up and managing multiple projects, or to discuss your agency's unique needs, remember to contact the PassKit support team through the PassKit portal.