Target mobile tech converts gift cards to virtual barcodes

Target guests no longer need to carry their Target GiftCards in order to redeem them, thanks to the Target Mobile GiftCard.

By taking advantage of Target's mobile technology, any guest, tech-savvy or not, can save GiftCard information to a PIN-secure account on the Target.com mobile site. All that's needed is a mobile phone with Internet capabilities, which a guest can use to retrieve GiftCard barcodes for scanning at checkout.

Guests may access their Target Mobile GiftCards to add value at store registers, and check GiftCard balances at any time via the Target.com mobile site. In addition, Target Mobile GiftCard functionality allows guests to save multiple GiftCards to their account and label each one for easy reference.

"The addition of Mobile GiftCards to our suite of mobile shopping solutions further simplifies the Target experience for our guests," said Steve Eastman, president of Target.com. "Consistent with our 'Expect More. Pay Less.' brand promise, we will continue to surprise and delight our guests with innovative and highly relevant mobile capabilities, enabling access to the Target experience anytime and anywhere."

Target's point-of-sale scanning technology makes the Target Mobile GiftCard possible, and Target is the first major retailer with the ability to scan mobile barcodes in all of its stores. In addition to using the new Mobile GiftCards, Target guests can view online assortments, check product availability and store locations, manage their Target gift registry and lists, browse the weekly ad, and receive text and e-mail notifications of great deals — all via their mobile phones.