One of the biggest gaps in current card-linked offers is their lack of insight to credit union members' specific product and brand choices within a basket of purchased items.  Approximately 90% of promotional marketing dollars are associated with consumer packaged goods and other product manufacturers' brand-driven deals and coupons. Unlocking those funds for promotions is where the big opportunities lie in mobile wallets. 

The challenge with the current "offer mall" approach of card-linked offers by the early entrants is that it is a very tiresome user experience. The old offer mall approach ends up training pre-disposed credit union members (merchant customers) to look for discounts. Discounts are not the only way to benefit and motivate credit union members (merchant customers). In serving merchants, credit unions don't want to train the member/customer to only look for a brand when they want a discount. The old offer mall model has a very high risk of needlessly discounting for pre-disposed customers.

Another problem with current card-linked offers is that they are alwayspost-sale.  The most effective offer activation model is to get out in front of the sale, or before mobile payment and check-out as we do with our Five Mobile Trigger Points:

1. Discovery, locating and navigating
2. Presence Detection, check-in and data-driven personalized offers
3. In-Store enhanced customer self-service
4. Mobile Payment and check-out
5. eReceipts, post-sale promotions and social sharing

Most current card-linked offer programs have yet to be optimized and integrated into mobile banking apps.  Credit unions need to plan now to integrate the account level offers at the mobile wallet level and thus be most influential before, during and after the actual point of sale.