Member News

The Disasters Emergency Committee ( DEC ), the umbrella organisation for 14 UK humanitarian aid agencies, is using the leading mobile engagement solution provider OpenMarket to drive mobile fundraising for its Philippines Typhoon Appeal. OpenMarket’s Mobile Engagement Platform is powering the appeal’s mobile donation channel, which has raised over £1M in mobile donations since the campaign launched on November 12th.

DEC launched its Philippines Typhoon Appeal to raise money to help the millions of people affected or left homeless by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan that struck the country on November 8th 2013. The OpenMarket platform processes incoming donations made using Premium SMS ( PSMS ). Donations are made by texting DONATE to 70000, a designated DEC short code. Donors then receive a PSMS confirming their donation. DEC also uses OpenMarket to engage with donors on an ongoing basis with opt-in SMS appeal updates and invitations to make further donations.

In addition, DEC uses SMS to invite donors to register for Gift Aid, which increases the value of donations by 25 per cent. OpenMarket is the only provider in the market that enables donors to register for Gift Aid using SMS. Donors are invited to register for Gift Aid by texting back their name, first line of address and postcode. The Mobile Engagement Platform checks that the format of the details is accurate and then sends a confirmation message. Other providers typically direct donors to websites: this disrupts the registration and can potentially obstruct the Gift Aid process entirely, especially for websites that are not optimised for viewing on a mobile phone and when impulsive donors are on the move. Using SMS for Gift Aid continues to convert interest in about 2/3rds of donors.

OpenMarket has been DEC’s partner of choice for mobile engagement since its Pakistan Floods Appeal in August 2010. OpenMarket also worked with the DEC to deliver the mobile campaign for its East Africa Crisis Appeal in July 2011 and the Syria Crisis Appeal in 2013.

“OpenMarket is one of our longest-standing fundraising partners and we’re thrilled to work with them again on this important appeal,” said Adil Husseini, Head of Fundraising at the DEC. “OpenMarket has consistently proven their ability to handle our sudden and highly demanding needs. We had less than 48-hours to launch a massive media campaign and once again OpenMarket did not fail to seamlessly deliver our mobile fundraising needs.”

The OpenMarket Mobile Engagement Platform processes billions of transactions worldwide each month for high-profile global brands, companies and organisations. Charities can use the Mobile Engagement Platform to build specific use-cases for both one-off and on-going donation and donor engagement. Most importantly, it is totally flexible to the charity’s unique needs.

“OpenMarket is a trusted mobile engagement partner of the DEC, and this relationship has built up over several years and over several successful projects,” said Adrian Sarosi, Head of Marketing for EMEA at OpenMarket. “The cost of implementing mobile donations is minimal and allows charities to spend less on face to face fundraising and call centres. The DEC’s use of SMS for its Philippines Typhoon Appeal reinforces the impact and value of mobile as an important fundraising mechanism.”

 

GlobalCharge are pleased to announce that they are the first In-App mobile billing service provider to be accredited under the new Payforit scheme for In-App mobile transactions.

Payforit is the UK mobile micropayment scheme, created and supported by all of the UK mobile network operators (MNOs), enabling consumers to use their mobile phone account or prepaid balance to transact securely and safely when purchasing content and services on the internet.

Following successful trials earlier this year, the Payforit scheme has been extended to include specific guidelines for In-App purchases. With the key considerations of security, consumer protection in mind, Payforit 4.1 will require In-App purchases to be conducted via an authorised In-App payment intermediary.

GlobalCharge’s In-App payment library enables merchants to quickly and easily offer Payforit In-App payments in their Android apps. Merchants retain control over the overall checkout experience while GlobalCharge takes care of the specific requirements for Payforit compliance. The resulting frictionless checkout experience ensures that Merchants benefit from high conversion rates.

Consumers will benefit from greater protection against unauthorised purchases and will enjoy the familiar Payforit transparent and seamless payment experience. Charges will be deducted directly from their mobile phone avoiding the inconvenience of inputting credit or debit card details.

We are seeing huge growth in In-App mobile transactions as Digital Merchants leverage the flexibility and convenience that in-app mobile billing offers said Bernadette Lyons of GlobalCharge. We believe that Payforit In-App billing offers great benefits for both merchants and consumers in the UK and we are delighted to be at the forefront in offering a Payforit approved solution to our customers.

SLA Mobile, Belfast based mobile solutions provider announced the signing of an agreement with Zain Group, a pioneer in mobile telecommunications in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, to provide customers with Direct Operator Billing capabilities. Through this agreement Zain Group becomes one of the first operators in the region that will launch the service.

Direct Operator Billing, which is also known as Carrier Billing, will enable Zain’s customers to pay for digital goods from a third-party content or service provider by charging the transaction to their mobile phone monthly bill or using their pre-paid credit.

In regard to Zain Group’s deal with SLA Mobile, the service will provide several benefits to Zain and its customers and to the industry at large, namely:
• It will provide customers the ability to easily and safely purchase apps from leading global app stores across the various operating platforms such as Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry and charge their bills or their credit balance in case of prepaid, all without a requirement for a credit card.

• Customers can easily purchase digital content and services provided by Zain’s local and regional partners with merchants and app developers now being able to reach a wider audience with their products and services encouraging and driving the innovation and consumption of such content.

Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group CEO said: “By being one of the first telecom providers in the Middle East to launch a Direct Operator Billing service, we reinforce our dedication to providing customers with the best purchasing experience and we are confident this service will enable them to use mobile payments in a safe and easy manner.”

Gegenheimer continued: “The exciting world of mobile digital services is driving the mobile industry forward at the moment, with a whole new world of content and applications being developed and introduced all the time. Zain is already one of the leading technology innovators with respect to our state-of-the-art mobile broadband networks, and this investment in our networks goes hand-in-hand with our ability to offer services that enhance customer’s digital purchasing experiences.”

With mobile content and apps revenue in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Africa predicted to skyrocket, giving customers an easy solution to purchase and consume digital services on their mobile devices is a prudent step taken by Zain at this time.

Nic Stirk, CEO of SLA Mobile said: “The Direct Operator Billing solution offers customers a highly convenient mobile payment option while allowing mobile operators to rapidly monetize their customers’ digital consumption. Mobile operators have many assets that can be monetized and Direct Operator Billing is the stepping stone to greater things in terms of improving competitiveness and increasing customer loyalty and retention.”

Zain’s Direct Operator Billing service is set to be launched in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, first, followed by Iraq, South Sudan and Sudan.

ITV Commercial and FremantleMedia UK today announced that, for the first time in the show’s history, The X Factor viewers will be able to vote for their favourite acts through a new in-app voting system.

The brand new service, which was created in partnership with Tectonic Interactive and Tellybug, will give viewers a sleek, in-app voting alternative on iOS devices.

Ann Cook, ITV’s Director of Interactive and MD of ITL said: “We are delighted to join forces with Tectonic Interactive and Tellybug, who understand completely our desire to provide a robust, user-friendly service for The X Factor viewers. This is a strategically important move for ITV as we seek to further engage with our audiences across multiple platforms.”

From Friday 11th October, viewers can download the iOS version of The X Factor app, which will display a range of voting options for the live shows, which kick off on Saturday 12th October. When the voting window opens at the end of the programme, viewers will be able to cast their vote immediately through the app.

Before voting opens each week, fans will be able to pre-purchase votes to cast during the voting window. Votes are purchased in packs of two at £0.69 with an option to buy a pack of 6 votes at £1.99. Viewers can use them one at a time or all together in a Super Vote for one act. Viewers can only buy a maximum of six votes at any one time and must use them all before purchasing more.

Peter Cassidy, Head of FremantleMedia UK Interactive said: “In-app voting in The X Factor is a natural step for viewers. This is an already highly-engaged, technically-literate audience looking for seamless second screen experiences. This new app upgrade is a great addition to the truly interactive experience that is The X Factor.”

Andy Shaw, CEO and Co-founder of Tectonic Interactive, said: “This is a bold and interesting move for ITV. They are pioneering in this space and we are delighted that they have recognised our technical capability and experience to help them bring this innovative proposition to market.”

Matt Millar, CEO Tellybug, said: “We are proud to be part of the X Factor app’s continued growth and evolution. The Fifth Judge play-along is a huge success, and with the addition of the Tectonic platform and In-App Voting for the live shows this year’s app is better than ever.”

The X Factor app, which is sponsored by Dominos, has already been downloaded more than 800,000 times.

Belfast-based technology solutions and consultancy company; SLA Mobile will celebrate their 10th anniversary of successful business in the mobile industry.

Since opening in 2003, SLA Mobile has grown a Professional Services and Software Development business in the mobile ecosystem. Now with over 90 specialist employees, SLA Mobile is putting their expertise to work for mobile operators and merchants delivering future-orientated solutions and services that enable them to compete and increase customer lifetime value.

Nic Stirk, CEO of SLA Mobile said, “We are delighted to reach this 10 year milestone as it is a great achievement for the company and demonstrates our commitment to providing mobile operators and merchants with valuable propositions that deliver competitive advantage.”

SLA Mobile has worked with the world’s leading mobile operators and content providers, helping them grow revenues through enhanced customer engagement. Key mobile technology propositions include Direct Operator Billing and Right Time, Right Place Marketing. Supporting their growth in the last 10 years, the company has gained support from key organisations, including Vodafone, XL Axiata and Vodafone Hutchinson Australia ( VHA ).

The company has been awarded a number of top industry awards over the years, including the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award for the last three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. The company also received the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 award in 2010 as it ranked as one of the country’s 50 fastest growing technology companies.

“The last 10 years have been filled with both challenges and achievements,” said Nic Stirk, CEO. “Moving forward we will continue to work with mobile operators to explore and drive new opportunities, maximising revenue streams that in turn deliver real commercial value to mobile users and merchants alike.”