The application, which will roll out later this year, lets consumers search for and purchase mobile gift cards from participating merchants such as Wet Seal and American Apparel. Consumers can also manage their loyalty programs and receive the offers they want.

“Firethorn wants to make sure consumers have access to the content they want, when they want it,” said Chip Fishburne, vice president of financial and merchant services at Firethorn. “We are creating a fresh and exciting mobile revenue channel that will bridge relationships among consumers and their favorite brands.

“Our technology creates accessible, branded and personalized mobile commerce channels that give consumers access to their accounts, offers and transactions while on the go,” he said. “We are bringing this expertise to the merchant community as the world continues to move toward the mobile lifestyle.”

Wet Seal is a specialty retailer of fashionable and contemporary apparel and accessory items. The company operates a total of 511 stores in 47 states. 

Firethorn creates a mobile revenue channel that bridges relationships among consumers, retailers, wireless carriers and financial institutions.

Mobile swag
The SWAGG application is Firethorn’s direct-to-consumer offering.

Consumers can purchase, personalize and exchange gift cards directly via their mobile device.

In addition, consumers can access account information, special offers and loyalty programs.

In August, Firethorn signed American Apparel to be one of its retailer partners to be featured in the SWAGG application (see story).

Additionally, 1-800-Flowers is targeting holiday sales holiday sales with the Swagg application.

The company signed on last month to offer consumers access to gift cards and loyalty programs from their mobile devices (see story).

“We have focused on building SWAGG by establishing relationships with consumers through experiential, social and digital marketing,” Mr. Fishburne said. “We know that apps are primarily downloaded from a user’s smartphone device.

“In order to build a brand, it’s important to develop a culture of being able to communicate directly with the consumer in engaging and compelling ways,” he said. “SWAGG will be distributed on iTunes and we will be working with our merchant partners to maximize usages through their distribution channels.”

Final Take