Vibes’ Tech Helps Brands Engage Apple Watch Consumers

Jumping on the Apple Watch bandwagon, with its millions of users and constantly evolving number of apps and widgets, Vibes is hoping its platform can better connect brands to consumers using Apple’s own Passbook app.

On Wednesday (May 20), the company announced that the platform will now support Apple Watch. Vibes’ Catapult Wallet Manager platform lets retailers running Passbook’s mobile wallet campaigns immediately engage via loyalty and other campaigns directly to the wearer’s wrist, offering another marketing platform. By way of example, retailers can use a push campaign to alert Apple Watch wearers of local and real-time promotions.

Vibes also announced that its mobile ad technology, WalletAds, will be available through the Watch. This allows consumers to tap an ad or event, and store a reminder directly into the Watch itself. Vibes unveiled its WalletAds offerings in February. WalletAds aims to address issues in mobile advertising, including banner ads that drive consumers to secondary commerce sites, where consumers often abandon their shopping carts.

“With everything in Passbook now on your wrist, Apple Watch puts mobile wallet and payments closer to consumers than ever before,” said John Haro, Vibes’ chief tech officer, in a statement. “The mobile marketing ecosystem is expanding and evolving thanks to advancements in wearables and Internet of Things technology, underscoring the need for CRM technology that helps brands build rewarding relationships on these increasingly personal devices.

“We’re excited to help marketers capitalize on this new Apple Watch opportunity with our proven mobile wallet technology and more than 150 mobile experts.”

A report from February of this year by Forrester Research, titled “The Future of Mobile Wallets,” found that more than 50 percent of adult smartphone users would like to be able to store loyalty program points, rewards, and other data in their mobile wallets. The study found that among respondents, access to loyalty programs and coupons are among the most desired features, followed by the ability to conduct price comps.