ANZ, one of Australia's Big Four banks, is allowing its customers
to design their own credit and cash cards online at
www.designmycard.com.au. The Australian roll-out reflects the huge
popularity of personal payment cards with the bank's New Zealand
customers and - more generally - the growing global demand for
individual card design.
Once again, the bank is using cutting-edge technology supplied by
Serverside Group, the global leader in digital card design. Serverside
now supplies 30 major global financial institutions with card
customization technology.
Gone are the days when cardholders had to settle for predictable,
uninspired plastic. Cardholders can now have a Superhero or native
Koala bear buy their dinner, or pay the bill using a favourite photo
of their grandchildren!
Since October 9, 2006, new and existing holders of ANZ First Visa
or ANZ Access cards have been able to 'customize' their card plastic
with a photo of their own, or an image chosen from a creative
collection of online gallery images. Gallery categories include
pictures of animals, sports, Australian heritage, cartoon characters
and action superheroes.
For cardholders, the design process is straightforward. No
software downloads are needed and the entire process can be completed
in seconds. Customers simply design their own cards online using
intuitive editing tools within a branded section of ANZ's website
(www.designmycard.com.au). A selection of existing customer card
designs are displayed at the ANZ site so you can view the images your
fellow cardholders have created for card design inspiration.
Technology provider Serverside is seeing significant interest in
its online card customization technology from card issuing companies
globally. To date, 30 major issuers worldwide have started to offer
personal plastic, including ING, BMW, KBC, Advanta, Fortis, First
National Bank of Omaha, Heritage Building Society and Abbey in the UK.
Many more will be announced in the months ahead. Visit
www.serversidegroup.com to see a list of customer implementations and
the latest online card marketing products from Serverside.
James Barclay, Serverside Group Senior Vice President
(Asia/Pacific), commented:
"We're delighted that ANZ's Australian customers, following their
New Zealand counterparts, can now 'personalize' their plastic. For
Serverside, this confirms the consumer appeal for creating a unique
card that reflects who they are. The internet has changed the way card
issuers must market themselves irreversibly: traditional direct mail
is no longer as effective, while interaction and self-expression are
crucial if issuers are to tap into the massive potential of the Web
2.0 generation. Serverside ensures issuers meet all of these
requirements -- and much more in terms of ongoing customer
satisfaction and retention."
Jenny Fagg, ANZ Managing Director, Consumer Finance, added:
"We are excited to be the first major bank in Australia to offer
this fantastic new product feature. This feature has been well
received by our customers in New Zealand and is very popular overseas.
ANZ designmycard is a great example of how we can bring a little more
fun to our customers' everyday banking."
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. The
company's flagship product, AllAboutMe, is a web-based application
that allows cardholders to design their unique payment card online.
Serverside's innovation and growth were confirmed recently when it was
named 'One of the Top Ten Technology Companies to Watch' by Bank
Technology News.
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
and to see a live card demonstration, visit www.serversidegroup.com.
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