The CardLinx Association released industry data revealing the latest trends in digital commerce and card-linked offers or “CLO”. Based on input from fin-tech, ad-tech and merchant leaders worldwide, the global trade association’s 2020 findings show significant industry growth, including a 40% increase in the share of advertising budgets devoted to card-linking.
“The study reveals demand for card-linked offers is on the rise,” said Silvio Tavares, CardLinx President and CEO. “Price-sensitive consumers are looking for easy and rewarding ways to shop, prompting the proliferation and promotion of card-linked offers at unprecedented levels.”
Additional findings include:
CLO Is 2nd Most Preferred Ad Channel– CLO and card-linked loyalty programs are, combined, the second most popular marketing tool used by respondents, behind social media. Over 21% of merchants use card-linking to drive loyalty and growth.
CLO in Mobile Wallets- Most Promising New Tech – Respondents rate CLO in mobile wallets as the best new card-link technology, offering more potential for O2O (online-to-offline) programs that let consumers take advantage of offers via a clean, friction-free way to pay.
CLO Increases for E-commerce – E-commerce has climbed to a top-three CLO merchant category. While restaurants still lead, other retailers are adopting the new digital marketing channel at a rapid rate.