Consumers who opt in to Gap Mobile 4U online will get text-based offers (though never more than two per week) for Gap when they meet “pre-determined program criteria” like shopping at a merchant within a specified ZIP code, category type or within a certain time period. To redeem the offers, customers present the text message on their mobile device at nearby Gap locations.
The program launched in its pilot stage in November. Gap is the first global retailer to participate in Visa's mobile payment scheme.
Visa's entry comes as Facebook, LivingSocial and AT&T, among others, have launched programs aimed at targeting consumers' mobile phones with merchant discounts. Rival American Express has also tested the waters with a pilot program last month during South By Southwest that offered a $5 savings reward when users checked in to Foursquare at participating locations and spent $5 or more.