Packaging
Nothing if not Individual
Friday 31. October 2008 - Giesecke & Devrients novel payment cards, featuring new form factors and eye-catching special effects, are popular with bank and transit customers
Responding to a generation of consumers who increasingly strive to emphasize their individuality, banks all over the world are offering their customers original products such as cards bearing their own unique motifs. The ubiquitous, but nevertheless valuable piece of plastic is now available in a variety of unprecedented forms, often featuring eye-catching special effects. Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), one of the worlds leading providers of payment transaction cards, recently delivered its latest range of card products to banks and transportation companies in Germany, the United States and China. They include a scented credit card, a card branded Crystal Card, and a card to which a mini CD card can be attached with a snap-on mechanism. G&D will be presenting a wide selection of these new card products at the CARTES & IDentification 2008 exhibition in Paris from November 4-6, 2008.
“Demand for these special types of card, designed to appeal to specific customer target groups, has grown enormously. Banks are able to generate an emotive response to what used to be a rather bland and uninteresting product, and customers have taken up the offer enthusiastically,” confirms Michael Kuemmerle, head of the Cards and Services business unit at Giesecke & Devrient. “The credit card is gradually evolving into a lifestyle accessory, comparable to the limited editions of brand-name products. For the banks, these cards represent a highly efficient means of attracting new customers and promoting customer loyalty.”
One example is the series of credit cards issued by Germanys Commerzbank and supplied by Giesecke & Devrient, which emit a fragrance of coffee, orange or cinnamon when they touch the users fingers. The bank is assuming a pioneering role in scented credit cards with this offering and may release further fragrances if it is particularly well received.
G&D in China has launched a contactless card that immediately attracts attention with its crystal-like effect. The trendy appearance of the little card, which can be attached to a key ring or a cell phone by means of a stylish ribbon, has already made it popular with a great number of Chinese commuters who use it as a city-all-in-one ticket and prepaid card also for low-value payments. As for the form factor, there are no limits to the shapes in which the cards can be produced: Rectangular, circular or heart-shaped – they are the ideal marketing tools. Moreover, the cards are very robust, water- and wear-resistant, and keep their shape even when exposed to extremely high or low temperatures.
Another new credit card from G&D and their partner R&R Card Systems, Inc., the CDplus ConnectCard, incorporates a snap-on mini CD card. It was commercialized for the first time this summer by the American retail chain Simon Property Group. The CDPlus has a storage capacity of up to 15 MB and can be used to store any information that the card-issuer wishes to communicate to its customers, including customer loyalty programs, prize draws, special offers, or free music, videos and software.
A varied range of G&D products featuring new card formats and materials will be presented to visitors attending the CARTES & IDentification 2008 exhibition and congress in Paris from November 4-6, 2008 (Booth 4 L 001, Hall 4).