Google Wallet’s Redesign as Digital Wallets go Mainstream
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Google Wallet has introduced a full redesign of their passes. Event tickets, boarding passes and loyalty cards have moved to a component-based rendering system which means they all now offer a richer more customisable and interactive user experience.
PassEntry is proud to be a Google Wallet Premier Partner at a time when the use of digital wallets is growing exponentially. Five billion people already use a digital wallet, and it is predicted that 70% of all consumers globally will have adopted them by 2030.
Storing and accessing digital wallet passes has never been easier. In fact, so quickly are both the design and capabilities of the digital wallet progressing that many adults no longer carry a physical wallet.
When Cars Went Curvy: A Design Lesson for Digital Wallets
Let’s go back a few decades – to an era when car design underwent a radical change. Find a picture of a car manufactured in the 1970’s and compare to it to one produced in the 1990’s and you will instantly spot the difference. Gone is the boxy, angular car body - replaced by a softer, more rounded, shape.
This design change brought many benefits. Curving the car body lowered the aerodynamic drag and increased fuel economy. Advances in computer aided design (CAD) technology allowed those working on new models to render car designs with more complex and softer shapes. Previously, they had relied on a labour-intensive combination of artistic sketching, skilful technical drafting, and physical sculpting.
The point is that trends change and brands need to constantly change too, with the same rules applying in the world of digital wallet passes.
Why Frictionless is Fabulous
Creating frictionless digital passes has become even easier with the introduction of Auto-Linked Passes. Issuers can now automatically push related passes into a user’s Google Wallet linked to an existing pass (a boarding-pass that is issued at check-in, individual luggage tags or offers relating to a loyalty card).
PassEntry is excited by the opportunity for Post-Purchase Loyalty Enrolment with Google Wallet prompting customers to join your loyalty programme after they make an in-store tap to pay purchase. This feature is currently in a pilot phase – and the potential benefits to retailers are huge.
Utilising the power of Google Maps data, the Wallet will now automatically surface loyalty cards when users approach a particular store – meaning you need only reference location-based notifications generically in your call-to-action. Google Wallet does the rest.
The redesigned Google Wallet app features rounded corners, new animations and dynamic theming.
The Google Wallet Home Screen has changed. Cards no longer sit in a simple list but appear in a tiled grid that makes frequently used cards and passes faster to find. What is most beneficial is the fact that Google Wallet now uses dynamic home screen prioritisation – calling up time-sensitive passes automatically (whether an event ticket or a flight pass). Users can also choose to reorganise their cards – alphabetically, or by most recent with the added benefits of now having a pass starring system and new privacy options.
Airline passengers also benefit from the changes and Google Wallet users should find their plane journeys feel more connected from start to finish. Before travel, customers will be able to join an airline's frequent flyer programme from their boarding pass (any airline that uses Google's loyalty tool can offer this). Chrome can even auto-fill passport, licence, booking confirmation, and loyalty card information using saved Wallet passes.
Live Flight Updates mean that flyers with a boarding pass in their Google Wallet can receive real time updates, informing them of delays or gate changes, directly on their Android devices lock screen. Event organisers too can now alert their customers of any urgent, time-sensitive changes that need to be made to digital passes stored in the Google Wallet.
A Smarter, More Connected, Digital Wallet Experience
A new View More section acts as a searchable hub for everything in the Wallet, right down to the transaction details. The Chrome browser can recall loyalty cards too, auto filling them so customers never miss out on points and rewards.
Many PassEntry clients already use Google Wallet's API to send push notifications to their users. Until now, those messages had to follow Google Wallet's standard templates. That's changing — with the launch of a much-requested Customisable Push feature. You can now write the exact wording you want for text and notification messages.
Also of note is Cross-device Payment Verification for Google Pay aimed at those making desktop purchases who “can complete online transactions seamlessly and securely using Google Pay Device Tokens.”
Design trends change and brands must update their imagery to maintain a fresh, contemporary market presence. These changes also help to capture emerging demographics by engaging new customers through updated branding and new features.
At PassEntry we are excited about further updates to the Google Wallet, changes that will offer ever richer ticketing experiences. These include a digital receipts API and adding venue details, entry instructions, and links (parking maps, gate information and details of food and beverage outlets) to a digital ticket, with that pass also viewable offline.
Ready to put your tickets and passes in your customers' pockets? Talk to PassEntry and get films, flights, and more added straight into Google Wallet on Android. Retail brands can get in on it too — think location-based alerts, real-time updates, and richer ways to engage customers, all through Google Wallet. Read more about PassEntry as a Google Premier Partner here.
The next time an elegant classic car passes you on a country lane, take the time to admire its beauty and history — then remember just how fast design keeps moving.
