Virtual Incentives CEO Jonathan Price has discussed the movement from physical reward cards toward mobile delivery. In an August 12, 2016 post referring to his article in Incentive Magazine, the company says recipients increasingly expect rewards to reach them through the channels they use.

Price describes a progression from mailed plastic cards to email and desktop access, followed by mobile delivery and redemption. His argument is that reward programs should adapt to the recipient’s preferred device rather than treating distribution as a separate administrative step.

Virtual Incentives says its own work covers the journey from sending the reward to using it. The commentary connects that approach with developments in mobile payments and financial technology more broadly.

The company attributes the direction of change to customer expectations for access and convenience. Its post introduces Price’s discussion of five ways mobile affects gift card incentives, without announcing a new product release.