Microsoft partners with First Data to power digital deals

Global ecommerce and payment processing leader First Data Corporation and Microsoft to simplify retailers ability to offer and redeem local deal offers.

The companies said that First Data’s OfferWise solution has been integrated with Microsoft’s Bing Offers Card-Linked which consolidates local deals from a number of deal providers. OfferWise is an open platform that enables retailers to electronically attach offers to any consumer payment card or mobile wallet to allow streamlined and automatic redemption of the offer at the point of sale.

“We believe the card-linked applications space is an exciting area of innovation where we continue to be focused,” said Dom Morea, SVP of Advanced Solutions and Innovation with First Data. “Microsoft is an important addition to the roster of publishers using our capabilities with the First Data OfferWise solution to transform merchant marketing, advertising and offers.”

With Bing Offers Card-Linked, merchants have frictionless redemption of an “offer” or “deal” at checkout without the consumer having to use a paper coupon, voucher or promotion code on their mobile device. Other benefits to retailers include no need to change the POS system, no additional effort required to train staff in handling redemptions, and no need to wait for payments from deal promoters.

“We’re focused on connecting digital advertising to the physical world and doing so in a way that minimizes friction for merchants and consumers so they can engage with each other in valuable ways. We believe that card-linked offers will play a key role in delivering on this promise,” said Erik Jorgensen, general manager of local advertising with Microsoft Corp.