Card customization is fast becoming the norm, as two
more major issuers opt for personal plastic. ING Bank Slaski and
Fortis (Poland) are the latest companies to allow customers to place a
favourite photo on the front of their credit and debit cards - from
family and friends to pets and special places.
The live implementations come hot on the heels of launches by
Heritage Building Society, ANZ and The National Bank of New Zealand,
and reflect the increasing global demand for customized payment cards.
Once again, ING Bank Slaski and Fortis (Poland) are using
revolutionary online card customization technology provided by
Serverside Group, the global leader in digital card design. ING Bank
Slaski is allowing customers to personalize their Maestro debit cards,
Fortis (Poland) their credit cards.
Serverside's exclusive technology ensures the card design process
itself is seamless and secure for the bank and straightforward for the
customer. No software downloads are needed and the entire design
process can be completed in seconds. Cardholders design their own
cards online using simple editing tools to rotate and resize the image
within a branded section of the bank's website (go to www.ingbank.pl
and www.fotokarta.pl). They can either upload a personal photo or
choose from a large selection of gallery images chosen by the issuer.
For both issuers, offering personalized payment cards was a
win-win situation. Not only are customers excited by the fact that
they can design their own cards, but in commercial terms, personal
equals profitable. In early June, an existing Serverside client
confirmed that people with personalized cards use them more often than
other cards in their wallet, and it seems an ever-growing number of
issuers are waking up to this fact. Currently, 20 financial
institutions globally have taken advantage of Serverside's technology
and many more will be announced in the months ahead.
James Pendley, Chief Executive Officer, Serverside Group,
commented:
"Having two of the big Polish banks onboard is another hugely
positive step for Serverside and reflects the growing take-up of our
product globally, following recent implementations in Australia and
New Zealand. The explosion in digital photography, coupled with the
commodification of the internet, has sent demand for personalized
cards soaring. It's what consumers want and what issuers have to offer
if they're to stay in touch. The payment cards market is one of the
toughest around and if banks don't keep up with consumer trends,
they'll lose out to those that do."
Katarzyna Sosin, Director, Payment Cards Department, ING Bank
Slaski, added:
"We're very happy with the way Serverside operated. They worked
very closely with us and responded quickly to any issues that arose.
Despite a tight schedule, this resulted in a smooth implementation.
Thanks to Serverside, we can now offer our customers a unique
opportunity to pay with their own 'One of a Kind' card, which they can
easily change at any point in the future. We believe that personalized
payment cards make our proposition special and more interesting."
About Serverside Group Limited
Founded in 2003, Serverside Group is the global technology leader
in digital card design and a provider of innovative software solutions
for issuers, personalization bureaus and card manufacturers.
-- AllAboutMe is a web-based application that allows cardmembers
to design their unique payment card online.
-- OC-OC (One Customer-One Card) is a next generation card
manufacturing process.
By allowing individual, digital card images to be created on
demand, issuers and manufacturers can harness the power of
just-in-time card design, manufacturing and management.
Serverside Group is headquartered in London and has offices in New
York, Chicago and Auckland, New Zealand. The company has strategic
alliances with Visa, Datacard and Getty Images. For more information,
visit www.serversidegroup.com.
