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Value of digital receipts


Johannesburg, 24 Jul 2018

Receipts are crucial for various reasons, including tax deductions, issuing refunds or reimbursements, reconciling credit card and bank statements, providing proof of service, and more. However, as the world continues to embrace the transition to all things digital, having a shoe box full of paper receipts or a stack of them in your wallet is no longer desirable for consumers. (Was it ever?) Instead, well-executed digital receipts are now the preferred solution.

Although digital receipts are invaluable for retailers and customers, the reasons why vary. For retailers, they offer access to key customer data that can be used to drive a number of business decisions, including which items to stock and when, tailoring marketing and promotional efforts, and more. For consumers, they provide a safe, easy and convenient way to store and manage all their receipts in a single place. As mobile devices solidify their stake as shoppers' primary companion, a digital receipt solution is important to stay competitive.

When shoppers opt for e-mailed in lieu of printed receipts, they might not realise they are entering into the world of unsolicited e-mail marketing. With privacy and anonymity being a top-of-mind concern among consumers today, a digital receipt solution that takes users' e-mail for self-serving marketing purposes creates distrust and apprehension among shoppers, making it an ineffective solution.

Similar to the lack of discretion from digital receipts that demand an e-mail address, digital receipt solutions that require users to take a picture of their printed receipt are ineffective and outdated. Think of this approach as the equivalent of holding a microphone to a speaker to record a song: would you really prefer a crackly, muffled version to the nice crisp sound of a digital audio file? It's unlikely.

Additionally, when taking a picture of a printed receipt, consumers don't necessarily have the option to photograph the back side, therefore creating missed opportunities for marketing departments and stress for loss distrust and prevention departments.

To learn more about Star Cloud Services and AllReceipts, please visit https://www.tpdc.co.za/star-digital-receipt.

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