Barry Levine says, ““Mobile wallet” conjures up the virtual equivalent of a worn leather billfold harboring credit cards, coupons, boarding passes, and discount cards.

But that’s only because its name is borrowed from the wallet’s heyday, when all “stores” were tangible. The future of the humble mobile wallet may turn out to be something much more unique than acting as a billfold-substitute.

Corey Gault, director of communications of mobile engagement provider Urban Airship, told me via email that his company believes “mobile wallets will become [a] marketing platform” within six to twelve months.

According to the company’s most recent “State of Mobile Wallet Marketing” survey of 2000 smartphone users, 54 percent of respondents have employed wallets and 30 percent have done so in the week before the survey. The most common uses are as loyalty cards, coupons, and boarding passes. But half of the respondents also want to use it for order delivery updates, mobile payment, ID cards, event cards, and reminders of things like expirations or account balances.

“The real aha moment,” he said, “is that mobile wallets offer a rich and sustainable customer communications channel with lockscreen notifications and passes that update dynamically.”

“Seventy-seven percent of respondents want coupons to automatically update to new offers on expiration,” he added”.

The mobile wallet could grow up to become a real marketing channel

Marketing Land

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