Oxfam GB launches RCS mobile payment campaign
Melanie May | 15 March 2021 | News
Oxfam and global mobile engagement provider mGage have launched an RCS and mobile payments campaign that has seen increased donations for the charity and enabled it to be more tailored and flexible in its messaging to supporters.
mGage launched a solution last year that brings mobile payments and RCS together to provide both rich messaging and mobile billing within one channel, and enabling supporters to easily engage with Oxfam and donate.
RCS messages can include rich multimedia components without the size restrictions of MMS messaging with files supported including high resolution images, animated GIFs, and audio and video clips. They can also include buttons with suggested replies and giving customers an instant way to call or text, open an app or initiate and complete a purchase.
And, they let organisations retain their branding and identity, by allowing the use of custom colours, logos and brand names as the sender ID, so messages can maintain the look and feel of its apps, websites and other digital offerings.
Advertisement
Nick Millward, Vice President Europe at mGage said:
“With a simplified payment flow, a donation amount can be selected at the click of a button and added to the mobile bill, providing a truly seamless experience. This solution really is a gamechanger, especially at a time when so many charities need our support. RCS payments provide the ultimate convenience and an appealing experience for customers, who increasingly want organisations to contact them via mobile messaging. With more than 1.31 billion mobile payment users expected by 2023, it is a service that is soaring in popularity.”
Additionally, the service’s Verified Sender feature offers peace of mind and builds trust between both charities and supporters. Accompanied by branding, users can be assured that a message sent to them is legitimate, protecting against fraud and the reputation of the sender.
Drew Hickling, Supplier Relationship Manager, at Oxfam GB said:
“We are engaging with our supporters in a completely new way thanks to this innovative rich messaging channel, which allows for more choice and tailored, flexible content embedded directly into mobile messages. Working with mGage we have created an RCS and Mobile Billing flow that provides a simple and seamless experience for our supporters with increased levels of potential engagement.”
Oxfam has also announced that it is retiring its giving app soon after four years. In a statement on its site, the charity says:
“In the years since we launched the My Oxfam app, the world has changed a lot and the way we communicate with you, our supporters, online has changed too.
“We see far more mobile use of our website, emails and social media accounts – and we have worked hard to improve all our channels, so much so that in many ways the experience there is better than we can offer in an app.
“We’ve learnt a lot about our how our supporters use their smartphones, and we think we can deliver even better experiences to you in the future.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.