SWITZERLAND. Global Blue has launched a new and improved Shop Tax Free app, which is available in English, Russian and Chinese.
The app, the latest in a series of digital innovations launched by Global Blue, is targeted at frequent “globe shoppers”. Global Blue said it provides them with everything they need to plan, shop and claim tax free refunds.
According to Global Blue, access to fast and easy-to-use features is particularly important to frequent globe shoppers (those who have shopped tax free over three times during the last 24 months). This group accounted for 8% of globe shoppers, but over 40% of spend during the last 24 months.
The app complements Mobile Customer Care, a service designed to provide real-time support to less frequent globe shoppers, who typically have less knowledge of the tax free shopping process. Transaction-triggered e-mail and SMS notifications, sent to their smartphones, guide them through their tax free shopping journey and next steps. This group made up 92% of globe shoppers and accounted for 60% of spend over the last 24 months.
Key features of the new Shop Tax Free app include:
Refund tracking and management
The app features a comprehensive range of tools to help travellers manage their tax refunds. Live tracking of all refunds can be accessed at the touch of a button and is complemented by contextual alerts.
Geolocation services also guide users to the nearest custom and refund offices.
Global Blue’s Refund Calculator has been incorporated, providing live currency updates and automatic home currency conversion. Tax free shopping information such as minimum purchase amounts and local tax free shopping rules is also accessible through the app.
One touch enrolment
Through the app, the phone’s camera enables one touch enrolment to Global Blue’s Shop Tax Free Card via passport scanning. The Shop Tax Free Card is accepted in 305,000 stores worldwide and helps globe shoppers claim tax savings without filling in tax free forms. After enrolment is completed, the app generates a virtual Shop Tax Free Card, which can be added to Apple Wallet.
The phone’s camera also acts as an inbuilt barcode scanner, aiding the easy identification of tax free forms and unlocking the benefits of the live refund tracker.
Advanced mapping and geolocation
The app’s map feature provides advanced search functionality, enabling globe shoppers to look for retailers by city, brand and store name when planning their trip. The app clusters areas of densely populated stores to aid navigation to affiliated merchants. Global Blue said it will be updating the app to include all its global refund points and merchant locations in the coming months.
When the traveller arrives at their destination, the app helps them explore cities and locate the stores they desire, using geolocation. For merchants, these geolocation services can be used to promote specific stores or refund offices.
Global Blue Senior Vice President Product Tax Free Shopping Tomas Mostany commented: “Global Blue’s new app is the latest innovation in our mission to provide a digitised, personalised tax free shopping experience for globe shoppers. The traveller now has a smart, intuitive tool with everything they need to shop tax free in the palm of their hand.
“For our partners, this service represents an important differentiator, enabling them to offer a truly market-leading tax free shopping service to their customers. Aside from the customer satisfaction and service benefits, the app will help deliver more travellers to stores, reduce time spent on enrolment and increase completed tax free refunds, maximising revenue for partners.”
The app is available now on iOS and Android and can be downloaded at the App Store and Google Play Store.
