Industry Insights
Dummy Cards: Giving Mobile Gift Cards a Physical Presence In-Store
What are dummy cards? Barcoded display-only cards that let shoppers buy mobile gift cards in-store; scanning generates the digital card instantly, then the dummy returns to the shelf.
A dummy card is a physical container for a virtual product. It looks like an ordinary plastic gift card, holds no value at all, and exists so that a mobile gift card can be picked off a shelf, carried to a till and paid for like any other item.
Why a Digital Product Still Needs a Shelf
Mobile gift cards solve real problems for online shoppers, but they are invisible to the customer walking through the store. A product with no physical presence cannot be displayed, browsed, or bought on impulse at the checkout lane. The dummy card restores that moment without restoring the card stock behind it.
How the Transaction Works
The card carries an EAN13 barcode read by a standard electronic cash register. On scan, the mobile gift card is generated directly to the buyer's or recipient's phone and printed on the receipt, redeemable within seconds. The dummy card goes straight back to the display for the next customer.
What This Removes
Far fewer cards are produced because each one is reused indefinitely. There is no local value inventory, no secure storage requirement, no out-of-stock seasonal display, and very little for a fraudster to steal.
Ogloba supports the issuance behind that scan. The interesting part is what disappears from store operations once value stops sitting on the shelf.
FAQ
Why does a digital gift card need any physical presence?
Because a product with no physical presence cannot be displayed, browsed, or bought on impulse at the checkout lane. Mobile gift cards are invisible to the customer walking through the store.
What barcode does a dummy card carry, and what reads it?
An EAN13 barcode, read by a standard electronic cash register — no special hardware is needed at the till.
Does the customer take the dummy card home?
No. The mobile gift card is generated to the phone and printed on the receipt, and the dummy card goes straight back to the display for the next customer.
What disappears from store operations once the shelf holds no value?
Local value inventory, secure storage requirements, out-of-stock seasonal displays, and most of what a fraudster would want to take — and far fewer cards are produced because each one is reused indefinitely.
