Facebook users know that you can give your friends virtual gifts, but for the first time, there are gifts that can be redeemed in real life for real products.
Mars Snackfood UK is the first marketer to use this product through an application called Celebrate. When users buy each other a virtual candy bar using PayPal, the recipient also receives a a voucher ID code on their cell phone which can be scanned in stores to redeem the real thing.
"We are very excited to be involved with this new ground-breaking initiative with Facebook," said Sara Miles of Mars Snackfood UK.
"It will drive traffic and incremental confectionery sales to our PayPoint retail partners in a way that is at the forefront of the digital revolution, whilst offering our consumers a different way of sending confectionery gifts to friends and family," she said.
"As the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds are being increasingly blurred, our award-winning technology platform M BAR GO will allow users to buy each other sweets at the touch of a few buttons,†said Marc Lewis, founder and chairman of The Light Agency, the company who created the mobile voucher technology.
I never understood the purpose of paying a dollar to buy your friends a computer graphic of a cupcake or even to send a free icon like a "naughty list" around Christmas, but this gift makes sense.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Redeemable Virtual Gifts
- The trend of redeemable virtual gifts allows users to purchase virtual items that can be exchanged for real products, creating opportunities for businesses to drive sales and generate user engagement.
- Virtual-to-real Integration
- The integration of virtual and real worlds presents opportunities for disruptive innovation, as seen with the ability to send virtual candy bars that can be redeemed for physical products.
- Blurred Boundaries
- The blurring of boundaries between the virtual and real worlds opens up new possibilities for businesses to leverage technology and create unique experiences for consumers, such as buying sweets with a few button taps.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Social Media
- The social media industry can explore the trend of redeemable virtual gifts to enhance user engagement and monetize virtual interactions.
- E-commerce
- The e-commerce industry can capitalize on the virtual-to-real integration trend by offering virtual products that can be exchanged for real merchandise, driving sales and customer loyalty.
- Mobile Technology
- The mobile technology industry plays a crucial role in enabling the seamless redemption of virtual gifts for real products, creating opportunities for disruptive innovation in mobile payment and voucher technologies.
