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Gap mobile coupon program now to include Banana Republic, Old Navy brands

November 8, 2011

Retailer Gap Inc. said it will be expanding its Gap Mobile4U program to include its other brands Banana Republic (BR mobile 4U) and Old Navy (Old Navy 4U). Like the original Gap program, the mobile programs for Banana Republic and Old Navy will provide customers access to real-time, location-based discounts.

Gap is working with Visa in the mobile couponing effort. Customers enroll their Visa accounts through its www.visa.com/gapmobile4u site. Once they opt into the service, they receive discounts and promotions through SMS text messages when they make qualifying transactions on enrolled accounts. The messages are sent directly to shoppers' phones and can be redeemed by presenting the text message at the point of sale at participating stores.

The Gap Mobile4U was started as a limited pilot program last November and was rolled out in April. At the time of the rollout, Visa Global Head of Products Jim McCarthy said the program was enabled by Visa's ability to process and analyze transactions in real-time.

"We have reached the point when the power of Visa's global network goes well beyond processing purchases to delivering critical information that benefits consumers, merchants and financial institutions,” McCarthy said in April.

This isn't the only effort made by Gap to integrate mobile into the shopping experience. The company said it launched a new and improved mobile optimized shopping experience for iphone and Android devices earlier this year.

"Our mobile optimized sites were created so our customers could have real-time access to the same service, experience and product promotions that they would have on the website," said Toby Lenk, president of Gap Inc.