Woohoo Gifting Blog

Qwikcilver launches gift card exchange platform

As appeared in The Times of India on 26 August 2016 by Shalina Pillai.

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BENGALURU: Qwikcilver solutions, gift card technology and prepaid solutions company, has launched a consumer to consumer gift card trading exchange marketplace for consumers. This allows users to convert their unused or partially used gift cards to cash. Buyers, on the other hand, will be able to purchase gift cards at special prices.

We had been developing this for the past eight months and are launching this in time for the festive season. We got a number of feedback from our customers. We are bullish that it has the potential to drastically increase the number of gift card users in India. With the Indian Gift Card Industry growing at 300% annually, this would help to further scale the category across a new segment of Gift Card users,” said Pratap TP, co-founder and CMO, Qwikcilver.

The company, which recently raised funds from Sistema Asia Fund, the proprietary fund of Russian conglomerate Sistema, has partnered with over brands enabling access to 5000+ stores and portals’ including retail chains, entertainment platforms, travel partners and leading currency providers.

Qwikcilver’s consumer-focussed gifting app, Woohoo, would digitize the listed cards, Pratap added. “Once the seller lists their physical gift card on the platform, the card gets disabled and a new electronic version of the same is created and gets listed on the Woohoo Marketplace,” he said. It will also allow the users to convert loyalty points from banks and NBFCs to digital gift cards and cash.

It had recently appointed former Reserve Bank executive director, G Padmanabhan as a strategic advisor.

Qwikcilver has launched a platform that allows people to sell their partially used or unused gift cards

As appeared in The Hindu on 26 August 2016.

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Are you one of those saddled with too many gift cards and looking at ways to get rid of them. Don’t let them go to waste: there is now a place where you can trade them for cash.

Qwikcilver Solutions, a leading gift card technology provider, has come up with a platform that enables consumers to turn their partially used or unused gift cards into cash by listing them on the Woohoo gifting app.

They will also be able to convert loyalty points, generated from loyalty programs of multiple banks and NBFC channels, to digital gift cards, which can subsequently be sold on the newly launched Woohoo Secondary Marketplace. Once the card is sold, the money is credited directly to the seller’s bank account.

In order to obviate possibilities of misuse, all the listed gift cards are verified and authenticated in real time in the backend, said Pratap TP, Co-Founder & CMO, Qwikcilver.

Customers, who have physical gift cards, need not have to ship them to the buyer. Once customers list their physical cards on the platform, they get disabled and a new electronic version of the same (with the value and validity intact) gets created and listed, which can then be purchased by someone who is looking for a gift card.

The platform also allows sellers to change the price of the card, or even pull it off before it’s sold.

Stating that it’s India’s first fully integrated consumer-to-consumer marketplace for selling and buying gift cards, Mr Pratap said the launch of the platform ahead of the festival season is expected to give a further impetus to the Indian gift card industry that is growing at 300% annually.

There are over 150 brands and more than 5,000 stores and portals on board Woohoo, which is available on Android and also on the web. It allows customers to redeem the gift cards either at online or offline stores. Woohoo comes from Qwikcilver, the company whose technology works in the background powering the gift card schemes of a large number of online and physical outlets.

Qwikcilver – Trending and Buzzing across leading publications and sites

Qwikcilver, Funding, Investment, gift card platform

“..Bangalore-based Qwikcilver, which runs gift card tech site Woohoo has announced a fresh round of funding led by Sistema Asia Fund Advisory, a proprietary fund floated by Sistema JSFC..” –Techinasia.com

“..The company will use the funding to further invest in R&D, scale the Gift Card category, and expand into new geographies..”- Yahoo News Singapore

“..Qwikcilver has established and reinforced the Prepaid & Gift Card network in Indian retail, with close to 90 per cent share of the customer engagements across 150+ leading brands & retailers in 25 consumption categories…” – e27.co

“…QwikCilver will use the funding to double the value of gift cards it sells to Rs 4,000 crore in the current fiscal year. The company is also eyeing international expansion to markets in Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia, where it is currently tying up with brands and merchants. ..” – Times of India

“..With Qwikcilver being the first startup in India back in 2014 to be backed by the Amazon India, it is no surprise to note that the existing investors such as Amazon India themselves, Accel India and Helion Venture Partners had also participated in this new round..”- techstory.in

Gifts for your friends relocating to a new city

While it’s exciting to move to a new city, it can also be tiresome. Relocating to a different city poses a number of challenges to a couple. For one thing, they have to sort out where they’ll live, how they’ll commute, where to send kids to school, how to arrange for amenities and so on. These challenges will take some time to overcome. Be sure to support and cheer your friends with gifts that they can use in their new home!

Let your gifts help them furnish their new home

While relocating to a new city, it becomes necessary to get rid of several belongings and move with a lighter load. Most people need to buy new furniture for their new home. Your friends might be wondering where and how to buy new furnishings and home goods. If you know a bunch of their friends, you could all pool in and buy the relocating couple a gift card from The Home Stop, Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Central or @Home. These are large shopping malls that sell every imaginable item of furnishing and home equipment one can want.

Gift them a well-deserved break!

Relocating to another city could be physically and mentally exhausting. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could gift your friends a short and nice trip or an experience to unwind, feel refreshed and good about the new possibilities that are in store for them? How about a gift voucher for a fine dining experience? You can choose a restaurant based on the couple’s favorite cuisine, such as Mainland China for Chinese, Spaghetti Kitchen for Italian, Oh! Calcutta for some Bengali cuisine or a host of other interesting options. Or, send them both to PVR Cinemas for a nice movie together. A nice and short weekend trip is also a great gift idea. You could pick a gift card from MakeMyTrip.com or Cleartrip.com.

Gifts that won’t be misplaced

You like the idea of gifting them these gift cards, but fear they might happen to misplace the physical card in the whole process of packing, moving and unpacking? There’s a perfect workaround! You can gift all of this via the Woohoo App. This way your friends will receive your e-gift voucher on their mobiles and will not run the risk of losing it. Not just that. To make the gift even more special, you could personalize it with pictures of fond memories, a voice note or a text message.

You know they’ll thank you for your warm gesture!

Note: Image is from smallbiztrends.com. Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 19 Aug 2016)

Woohoo Launches India’s First-Ever Platform For Trading Gift Cards

Woohoo is proud to announce the launch of India’s first peer to peer gift card trade solution that enables you to convert your unused gift cards to cash and offers buyers gift cards from some of the best brands at low prices, offered directly by the seller.

Buy Sell Gift Cards, trade gift cards

SELLERS – DON’T LET UNUSED GIFT CARDS GO TO WASTE. MONETISE IT.

Yes, Woohoo makes it possible for you to convert your unused gift cards into cash by giving you a platform to put it up for sale. All you need to do is to list your card on the “Buy / Sell Gift Cards” section in your Woohoo app. The listings are instant so you do not have to wait. Once your card is sold, you get the money directly in your bank account. Moreover, with the robust security system provided by Woohoo you can rest assured that the buyers are verified. Another feature that makes selling physical gift cards on the platform as hassle-free as selling e-gift cards is that you do not have to take the trouble of shipping your physical gift card to the buyer. Once you list your physical gift card on the Woohoo Buy / Sell platform, your physical gift card gets disabled and a new electronic version of the same (with the value and validity intact) is created, which can then be purchased by the buyers. At any point in time you could choose to de-list your gift card (if it has not been sold) and use it yourself.

BUYERS – GET THE BEST DEALS ON GIFT CARDS DIRECTLY FROM THE SELLERS

If you’re looking for gift cards at discounted prices, Woohoo would be your go-to destination. This innovative platform offers gift cards from brands like Woohoo, Lakme, Lifestyle, Arvind and Hidesign (many more are making their way as you read this) directly listed by the sellers at competitive prices. Of course, you’d have to be an early bird to catch the best deals before they’re gone!

Woohoo does the checks for you in the background to ensure you get what you see. In other words, the card value and validity are verified by Woohoo. Besides, once you purchase a gift card, the seller will no longer be able to use it. As for the delivery of the E-gift Card, it’s as instant as the click of your button. Once you’ve successfully made the payment for the gift card, it is electronically delivered to you that very instant. So you can go ahead and make your purchase without a moment’s hesitation.

What to gift my team member on his birthday?

If you’re managing a team of people, you know team work is crucial for the success of any project. You value each member of your team; you share meals with them, watch cricket with them during breaks, enjoy your evening cup of coffee with them and celebrate their birthdays with them too! You know it, we know it and your team members know it– they are important to you.

What Would You Do For A Family Member’s Birthday?: Most people spend a minimum of 8 hours at work, and a maximum of anything up to 24 hours on occasion. Your team is your extended family, and there’s no two ways about it. So what would you do if it’s your brother or father’s birthday? Wouldn’t you get him something really nice? Yes, you would. That’s what families do.

Birthday Gift Cards Make The Best ‘No Headache’ Gifts: Think about it – if you have a team of 10 people, how much time would you be spending shopping for gifts? Imagine the time you would need to buy gifts for all your teammates. With gift cards and gift vouchers, you only save yourself the time and energy but also gift your team mates the ability to select what they want from over 100 top retail brands – all this from the comfort of your desk. With Woohoo.in, the gift cards superstore, all your gifting needs are met with just a few clicks.

Which Gift Cards Would Suit Your Team Member Best?: You’ve worked with him, you know him best. Is he a sharp dresser? Then consider gift cards from P N Rao, Marks & Spencer, Van Heusen, Shopper Stop and so on. Is he crazy about tech? How about a gift card from Croma, The Mobile Store or E-Zone? Loves watches? Think of Titan, Helios and more. You have plenty to choose from.

Note: Image is from fireflydaily.com. Copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

Celebrating Friendship Day, Today and Everyday

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”
― Elbert Hubbard

How many of you agree with this quote? Wouldn’t you count on your pals to stand by you through the roller-coaster of life? True friends are your treasured companions who have unconditional affection for you. Shouldn’t you make an effort to make them feel wanted and important in your life?

The Wonders of Internet to Help Cherish Your Friendship

Thanks to modern technology you can connect easily with your friends and make new friends too. Many of your friends who were with you in school and college are reconnecting through various social media platforms such as Facebook and others. Woohoo.in gives you the opportunity to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and festival in a grand and fun filled manner. There are a variety of gift cards and vouchers to suit the tastes and preferences of your friends. You can choose either physical gift/voucher cards or e-cards from the Woohoo gift cards bouquet to send it to your friend.

Cherishing Your Loved Ones

Life is a long journey and you need true friends who light it up. Sending thoughtful and personalized gift to your friends spreads a lot of good cheer and fun. They will always remember you as someone who stands by them through thick and thin. Is your friend’s birthday around the corner? You have not found the time to shop for a gift. Fortunately, there is woohoo.in from where you can dispatch gift cards in a jiffy. It is very user friendly, and you can send personalized gift cards to them in an instant. These cards are sure to be well received. Create a stir and strike the right chord by choosing gift cards from Woohoo.in.

Gifting Pointers

An invaluable tip – tailor your gift to suit your precious friend’s unique persona and stage of life. How about a deluxe and ritzy Titan watch for the busy bee? A package tour from Makemytrip would make the day for the adventurous and outdoor kind. An elegant diamond pendant from Tanishq is sure to entrance the bride to be. A cooking rookie will be more than happy to get a high-end hand blender from Prestige Smart Kitchen. If your pal is planning to renovate his home spring a surprise on him with a generous Home Stop voucher. Clinch your friendship with a memorable gift from our vast and versatile repository at www.woohoo.in

Note: The image is from binduann.com. The copyright vests with respective copyright holders.

(Post updated on 26 July 2016)

Woohoo’s Joke Day Challenge #MakeAuntyjiLaugh

#MakeAuntyjiLaugh was the hashtag Woohoo ran for its “Joke Day” challenge. The week-long contest, in which people were encouraged to #MakeAuntyjiLaugh with some of their best jokes, saw about 400+ entries.

The winning entries bagged Woohoo gift cards. Here are their posts:

kashyap kunvaria ‏@kunvaria

@woohoogifting #MakeAuntijiLaugh Wife:- How will u feel when i go to my maika? Husband:- mauka mauka

Steven ⎝⏠⏝⏠⎠ ‏@steven_fds

@woohoogifting #MakeAuntyjiLaugh Tell us the name of the woman who 100% knows where her husband is? …..thinking… Ans is: A widow woman

Anand Suratekar

#JokeDay #MakeAuntijiLaugh

Husband & his wife went for Divorce at court.

Judge : U have 3 kids…How will u divide them?

He had long discussion with his wife & said ” Ok, sir We will come next year with 1 more kid” ??

Joke doesn’t end here….

9 months later….They got twins?

Anand Boisa

My boss and I took a job applicant to lunch, where we tried, with little success, to get him to open up about his experience and qualifications. Frustrated, my boss set his salad aside and proposed a specific and complex situation to the young man, then asked, “What would you do?”

The applicant hesitated, then, looking my boss straight in the eye, said, “Are you going to eat all those tomatoes?” #MakeAuntijiLaugh

#WoohooDaddyGiri Contest Winners

This Father’s Day, Woohoo decided to take a look at and remind people of all the things their dads would say. The #WoohooDaddyGiri contest ran across the social media platforms for about a week and saw a strong participation from the audiences on both Woohoo’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

Here are some of the posts shared by the winners

Seema M Raibagi:

My Dads catchy phrase “We used to go walking miles together if we were able to save even 5 paisa, but now a days for You ppl can’t even walk 100 mts!!!”

Monika Singh:

He always Threat “Do {anything} this or that otherwise tumhari Pocket money ab band, i’ll take ur smartphone and will give u a classic phone for use…

But it all was so fun n memorable…

Wo pal wapas aa pate Kaasshhh….

#FathersDay

pranky ‏@priyanka_optom:

My daddy on my addiction to mobile (video on Twitter –https://twitter.com/woohoogifting)

r!Y@z @l! ‏@riyazali4312:

@woohoogifting Lagta Hain Sirf Tera umar hi badta jaaraha hain , Akal Chota hi hain #WoohooDaddygiri

Mujhe Pahele hi patatha Yeh sab terese nahi hoga #WoohooDaddygiri

Indians taking to gift cards over cash, physical gifts

As appeared on livemint.com by Rashmi Aich, on 25 May 2016.

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Gift cards in many segments are gaining popularity as they offer flexibility, convenience and, choice to recipient

For her wedding in February this year, Nandana Das, 29, a Bengaluru-based communications professional, was happier with the gift cards she received for online and offline stores than the many cup and saucer sets and bedsheets. “Some gifts were of no use and also not as per my taste. Gift cards give me the flexibility to buy anytime, anything and from anywhere. It gives you the option to actually buy what you want,” she said.

Das is part of the growing tribe of Indians who prefer such cards over cash and personal gifts. According to a report by QwikCilver Solutions Pvt. Ltd, which runs gift card platform Woohoo, 54% of respondents in a study said they prefer giving gift cards. Such cards are available in both physical and digital formats, and are offered by e-commerce sites, banks and retail companies.

“Cash is seen as too impersonal. With a gift card, you can decide on a brand or an e-commerce platform and your loved one can decide the gift,” said Pratap T.P., co-founder and chief marketing officer, QwikCilver.

As it is going to be the wedding season in many parts of India, gift cards may be preferred. Bengaluru-based software professional Shilpi Sinha, who got married in November last year, said, “I prefer giving gift cards as they are more convenient to use and can be gifted and sent anywhere. At my wedding, most of the physical gifts I got were things I already had.”

Apart from online portals, brick-and-mortar stores are also seeing an increase in sale of gift cards. “The sale of offline stores through e-gift cards has increased from nil a few years back to 25% now,” said Pratap.

“One doesn’t need to carry the digital gift cards. And as most gift card purchases tend to happen at the last minute, it’s convenient to buy and send,” said Firoz Khan, founder and chief executive officer, GiftCardsIndia, a gift-card aggregator. The market for gift cards has grown 40-50% in the past 3 years and is set to grow further as more people are adopting it, he added.

Mint Money take

Although gift cards offer flexibility and choice, do remember to check the expiry date on them. Moreover, any left over amount won’t be returned.

For bank gift cards, the minimum amount you need to put in is usually Rs.500 and the maximum is Rs.50,000, though these limits vary. Then there are charges such as for issuance, and replacing a lost card. These can’t be transferred either.

So the next time you get a wedding invite, you may consider these cards over the wall clock you were planning to give.