AnyCard: The largest e-gift card platform in Canada
Kirby Kazeil wanted to find innovative ways for people to buy gift cards for his carwash in Regina. Although clients could already buy them at Costco and at the carwash, the cards could only be sold during business hours. It was also expensive to buy plastic cards for distribution.
In 2015, he partnered with Chad Cardiff, a family friend and self-taught developer, to create the technology to sell his carwash gift cards on his website. They generated over $30,000 in sales within the first six months.
“At that point, we decided to make it a business,” explains Kazeil. “Every small to medium-sized business has the same problem – they want to generate more sales. This could now be achieved with our new platform, AnyCard.”
AnyCard is a platform for small to medium-sized businesses to sell e-gift cards online, generating cash flow 24 hours a day. If someone buys a $100 gift card, the business immediately receives the funds at the point of sale, compared to a delayed payment that larger organizations offer. Small businesses can also avoid the time and expense of processing and mailing physical gift cards.
“During our initial beta tests, we had over 30 Regina based businesses using our system,” explained Kazeil. “They loved it, and their clients loved it.”
In 2016, the pair brought in Chad Molleken to raise a round of funding to ramp up sales and marketing staff. AnyCard now has over 750 businesses across North America using the platform. People across the world are purchasing e-gift cards for their loved ones.
“In as little as ten minutes after a business signs up for AnyCard, customers can start buying their gift cards,” explains Cardiff. “The business can simply embed a ‘Buy E-Gift Card’ button directly onto their website and social media pages, and there are no upfront costs to get started.”
When people buy e-gift cards for others, they can choose to send it via email or text message which eliminates the need for a physical card at all. The current balance is also tracked in real-time and you are notified of any redemptions.
“We were the first to deliver e-gift cards through text messaging,” Cardiff relates. “This is a huge advantage for the purchaser, the recipient and the business themselves. We also have other features within our platform which allows businesses to run promotions. For example, a restaurant or bar could offer a 25% bonus on all purchases in order to ramp up sales and increase cash flow in the short term.”
AnyCard has begun its move into the American market and has an aggressive plan to capture a larger market share across Canada. “We are providing a service that benefits every small to medium-sized business across the globe, and we’re only going to grow from here,” says Kazeil.
AnyCard
Founders: Kirby Kazeil, Chad Cardiff, Chad Molleken
Incorporation Date: January 2014
Employees: 5 Website:
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