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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