HID Global Delivers Gift Card Issuance Project to Two Korean Retailers

HID Global announced that it has introduced a pilot digital gift card project at two Korean retail giants, Home plus and Shinsegae E-mart, using its FARGO HDP5000 high-definition printer/encoders. With the HDP5000, the two retailers can now brand and customize gift cards for corporate customers and individuals, adding a level of personalization not available with conventional paper gift vouchers. The digital issuance of cards enables individuals and companies to create custom card designs using their own images, logos, personalized messages and other branding on the card.

“The on-demand digital gift card issuance program helped us develop a unique differentiation strategy. Unlike paper gift vouchers, the digital gift cards are 100 percent personalized, providing consumers with a customized experience and instant gratification,” said Min-jung Lee, team manager of Shinsegae E-Mart’s corporate business division.

Facing Korea’s notoriously saturated consumer goods market and fierce competition, the two retailers have seen HID’s personalized gift card issuance solution as a significant revenue growth vehicle, opening up a new pre-paid gift card market in addition to credit cards and cash as conventional modes of payment. The retailers’ digital gift cards also had the capability of unlimited recharging and offered special discounts at franchise stores that prompted repeat purchases.

As of today, 250 FARGO HDP5000 card printers are deployed at Home plus and Shinsegae E-mart stores, and the digital gift card issuance pilot resulted in record-breaking sales, with triple-digit growth over last year for Home plus during the 2010 Korean Thanksgiving season.

“With HID’s digital gift card issuance solutions, we boosted online affiliated cards purchases, and many of our customers were impressed by this concept,” said Chang-moog Cho, team leader of Home plus’ planning and strategic team department. “For example, some company executives created tailored messages like ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’ on customized cards and distributed them to employees. The solution helped us achieve 200 percent growth during the 2010 Thanksgiving season."

“This is the first time a digital gift card issuance project has been implemented in Korea or in Asia as a whole, and HID Global is pleased to be selected by Home plus and Shinsegae E-mart for this critical project,” said Kenneth Cheung, HID Global’s director of sales and secure issuance for East Asia. “The two retailers evaluated several vendors and ultimately selected HID’s solutions because of the superb printing quality of FARGO HDP 5000 printers and in-country technical support. The successful deployment demonstrated our continued Genuine HID commitment to quality and service.”

Home plus and Shinsegae E-mart are currently the country’s top two retailers, followed by Lotte Shopping and Walmart, operating a combined 241 hypermarkets and 262 express stores nationwide.


Featured

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”