A new research report from Mercator Advisory Group, Embracing a Digital Future: Three Case Studies in Prepaid Card Distribution, examines the successful transition from offline to digital channels, including mobile, online, and virtual, made by the three major players in the card distribution market: Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc., epay (a division of Euronet Worldwide Inc.), and InComm. These case studies provide a road map that companies with traditional products and methods can follow to pivot and expand into the digital future. The competitive landscape for all payments is rapidly changing with the emergence of new technologies and consumer preferences for virtual, digital, and mobile products. Companies are at risk of displacement if they don’t respond accordingly and update their businesses to embrace these technologies. The strategic decisions of the three companies profiled in this report have positioned them well to respond to these changing dynamics, and their decisions over the last three years are organized into separate categories, including entering new businesses, updating existing lines of business, and developing new technologies. How they achieved these goals is broken down in the report into various strategies that can be implemented across a variety of business types.

1. Embracing the Digital Future:
Three Case Studies of Prepaid Card Distribution
July 2014

2. 2014 Mercator Advisory Group
A new research report from Mercator Advisory Group, Embracing a
Digital Future: Three Case Studies in Prepaid Card Distribution,
examines the successful transition from offline to digital channels,
including mobile, online, and virtual, made by the three major
players in the card distribution market: Blackhawk Network Holdings
Inc., epay (a division of Euronet Worldwide Inc.), and InComm.
These case studies provide a road map that companies with
traditional products and methods can follow to pivot and expand into
the digital future.
Embracing a Digital Future: Three Case Studies in
Prepaid Card Distribution

3. 2014 Mercator Advisory Group
The competitive landscape for all payments is rapidly changing with
the emergence of new technologies and consumer preferences for
virtual, digital, and mobile products. Companies are at risk of
displacement if they don’t respond accordingly and update their
businesses to embrace these technologies. The strategic decisions
of the three companies profiled in this report have positioned them
well to respond to these changing dynamics, and their decisions
over the last three years are organized into separate categories,
including entering new businesses, updating existing lines of
business, and developing new technologies. How they achieved
these goals is broken down in the report into various strategies that
can be implemented across a variety of business types.
Embracing a Digital Future: Three Case Studies in
Prepaid Card Distribution

4. 2014 Mercator Advisory Group
“The companies that have been largely dependent on plastic
cards have found ways to prepare for a digital future,” said
Ben Jackson, Director of Mercator Advisory Group’s
Prepaid Advisory Service. “Their examples provide
lessons for companies who need to adapt to new
technologies.”
Ben Jackson
Sr. Analyst
PrepaidAdvisory Service
Mercator Advisory Group

5. 2014 Mercator Advisory Group
• An introduction to the key consumer trends toward digital and their
business implications
• Case studies of the three largest card distributors and their digital
strategies
• A summary and evaluation of the key strategic decisions these
companies have made over the past several years in order to address
consumer trends
• A best practices guide to start developing a comprehensive digital
strategy
Highlights of the Report

6. Table 2: A Matrix Approach for Preparing for the Digital
Future
Update Existing
Businesses
Enter Adjacent Lines
of Business
Develop New
Technology
Product Development
Acquisitions
Partnerships
Combinations of these offer
a digital strategy
© 2014 Mercator Advisory Group
Source: Mercator Advisory Group

7. About the Full Report
2014 Mercator Advisory Group
This report is 21 pages long and contains 10 exhibits.
Companies mentioned in this report include: Adility, Blackhawk Network,
Boomerang, Boost Mobile, Cardpool, Coinstar, epay, Euronet, ezi-pay New
Zealand, Giftango, Ibotta, ifeelgoods, InComm, InteliSpend, Magi.com,
mFoundry, Money Online, Monitise, On-Line Strategies, PayPal, , Ria, Skymall
Ventures, T-Mobile, Treater, Valve, Virtual Piggy, Xbox, Zeevex
Members of Mercator Advisory Group’s Prepaid Advisory Group have
access to this report as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead,
presentations, analyst access and other membership benefits.
Please visit us online at www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com.
For more information and media inquiries, please call Mercator Advisory Group's
main line: (781) 419-1700, send e-mail to info@mercatoradvisorygroup.com.
For free industry news, opinions, research, company information and more visit
us at www.PaymentsJournal.com.

8. About Mercator Advisory Group
Mercator Advisory Group is the leading independent research and
advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and
banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and
advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative
opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs.
Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers,
processors, merchants and associations to leading technology
providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher
of the online payments and banking news and information portal
PaymentsJournal.com.
2014 Mercator Advisory Group