Pine Labs launched Google Wallet gift cards at over 70,000 merchant locations across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The result was a seamless mobile gifting experience that improved redemption, increased engagement, and gave customers real-time visibility into their balances, all directly from their mobile wallets.

Results at a glance:

• 70,000+ merchants enabled with Google Wallet gift cards

• 74% activation rate, enabling all activated users to receive push notifications and location-based messaging

• Unified wallet experience with real-time balance updates and easier redemption

The Opportunity: Reinventing the Digital Gift Card Experience

India’s gift card market is on the rise, expected to grow from $7.6 billion in 2023 to $15.7 billion by 2028. But while demand surged, the user experience lagged behind.

Pine Labs identified a clear opportunity to modernize gifting by solving long-standing pain points:

• Gift cards scattered across emails, paper printouts, and siloed apps

• Customers unable to easily track balances or redeem on the go

• Merchants missing opportunities to re-engage after redemption

The launch of Google Wallet in India presented a timely opportunity to introduce a more seamless, mobile-first gifting experience. By integrating gift cards into a newly launched platform, Pine Labs could help define how users interact with digital gifting from the beginning, setting a new standard for convenience and engagement.

The Fix: Pine Labs x Badge x Google Wallet

To bring this experience to life, Pine Labs partnered with Badge through its gift card division, Qwikcilver. Together, they launched a mobile wallet gift card program designed for scale, simplicity, and real-time performance.

What they launched:

• Frictionless add-to-wallet flow: Customers could add their gift cards to Google Wallet using their mobile number, card number, and PIN. No downloads or logins required.

• Real-time balance syncing: Powered by Badge’s mobile wallet API, gift card balances stay updated automatically. Customers always see the correct amount, with no need to refresh.

• One view for all cards: Multiple gift cards from the same brand are grouped in a single wallet pass, making it easier to track and redeem.

• Brand-based search: Wallet cards are searchable by brand name, improving usability and reducing support requests.

The joint solution was tested across systems and launched in time for Google Wallet’s official debut in India in May 2024.

The Impact: Smarter Gifting at Scale

This wasn’t just a gift card rollout. It opened a new channel for engagement, loyalty, and retention.

• High activation, high intent: 74% of users enabled push notifications and location sharing after saving their gift card to Google Wallet. This created a powerful foundation for real-time, personalized messaging.

• Improved user experience builds loyalty: With a streamlined wallet interface, customers can now use and manage their gift cards faster and more easily. No forgotten balances. No app fatigue.

• Smarter re-engagement for merchants: Brands can now run targeted wallet-based campaigns triggered by location, time, or customer behavior. Every gift card becomes a direct marketing tool on the customer’s lock screen.

Ready to turn gift cards into high-impact engagement tools?

With Badge, you can launch wallet-based gift cards that drive installs, deliver real-time updates, and boost customer engagement. All without adding to your development backlog.

👉 Talk to our team and see how easy it is to get started.