State of Wallet: A Year of Transformation in 2024
By David Sporer, Managing Director, Passcreator
As the Managing Director of Passcreator, I’ve had the unique opportunity to observe the Wallet landscape evolve rapidly throughout 2024. This year has been nothing short of transformative, with new technological advancements, enhanced features, and shifting user behaviors driving the adoption of digital Wallets as an essential tool in our daily lives. From groundbreaking developments by Google and Apple to our own innovations at Passcreator, let me take you through the trends, milestones, and the future of Wallets as we approach 2025.
Google Wallet: Delivering on the Promise of Innovation
When Google rebranded Google Pay to Google Wallet, it set the stage for a more expansive vision of what a digital Wallet could achieve. In 2024, that vision truly came to life with a series of key innovations that significantly enhanced the platform. Auto-linked Passes have proven to be a game-changer, offering businesses a way to offer additional passes to users through the passes they already have stored in their Google Wallet. This not only eliminates friction for end users but also provides businesses with greater engagement opportunities, as users don't need to go through the download process outside of the Wallet app to access additional offers.
Another major leap was the introduction of Value-Added Opportunities, a feature that allows businesses to embed extra benefits directly into passes. Whether it’s exclusive discounts, personalized rewards, or upsell offers, this capability has turned Wallet passes into an even more dynamic marketing tool. Additionally, the rollout of real-time Push Notifications for passes added a layer of immediacy to customer communication closing the gap to what Apple Wallet has offered right from the start. Businesses can now deliver timely updates - such as last-minute event reminders or communication relevant to a membership - ensuring customers remain informed and engaged.
These advancements have resonated deeply with our customers at Passcreator. Over the course of 2024, the number of customers actively using Google Wallet passes doubled, underscoring the growing demand for its flexible and powerful capabilities. Google Wallet is no longer just a payment tool; it has become a central hub for digital interactions.
Apple Wallet: Setting Standards with NFC Passes
Apple Wallet, long a leader in the digital Wallet space, continued its tradition of innovation this year. With the release of iOS 18, Apple introduced new event ticket layouts designed specifically for NFC passes. These layouts are visually richer and offer a more engaging experience for end users. NFC passes, in general, represent the cutting edge of Wallet technology, offering unparalleled security and advanced features like tap-to-enter functionality and encrypted data exchange.
At Passcreator, we’ve seen NFC passes grow in importance as more businesses look to leverage these capabilities for high-security and premium applications. Industries such as ticketing, transportation, and access are increasingly adopting NFC for its seamless and secure nature.
That said, the reality is that barcode-based passes remain the most widely used format among our customers. Their simplicity, ease of implementation, and lack of an approval process with Apple make them an attractive option for businesses seeking a quick and efficient rollout. While NFC technology represents the future, barcode passes continue to dominate the present, highlighting the diverse needs of our customer base.
Passcreator’s Year of Innovation and Growth
2024 has been an extraordinary year for Passcreator. We’ve worked tirelessly to innovate, expand, and improve our platform, ensuring that it remains the tool of choice for businesses navigating the evolving Wallet ecosystem.
One of the major highlights was the launch of our new search functionality. This feature, which boasts unmatched segmentation capabilities, allows businesses to drill down into their customer data with precision. Coupled with our new analytics engine, it empowers users to derive actionable insights, track the performance of their passes, and optimize their campaigns like never before. These tools have been met with enthusiastic feedback, and we’re thrilled to see how our customers are using them to grow their businesses.
Beyond these launches, we’ve been hard at work on long-term initiatives that are now nearing completion. Started two years ago, these projects are set to significantly enhance the integration capabilities of our platform and deliver a smoother, more intuitive user experience. These updates will make it easier than ever for businesses to create, manage, and deploy Wallet passes, further solidifying Passcreator as a leader in this space.
The numbers speak to our success: sign-ups on our platform have increased by 60% this year, while conversion rates have remained stable. Additionally, our commitment to continuous improvement is evident in the sheer volume of updates we’ve delivered. Over the course of the year, we published 25 releases and implemented over 4,000 changes to the platform, with Wednesdays emerging as our most productive day for shipping updates.
Digital Wallets: The Physical Wallet’s Successor
The broader trends in the Wallet space this year underscore a clear direction: digital Wallets are rapidly replacing physical ones. Both Apple and Google have introduced features that move beyond payments and loyalty cards, transforming Wallets into comprehensive tools for daily life. Digital keys for homes and cars are now supported, allowing users to tap their phones for entry. Similarly, the integration of digital identity documents—such as driver’s licenses and ID cards—has expanded, with pilot programs and implementations rolling out across several U.S. states and countries.
One of the most exciting developments on the horizon is the European Union’s EUID digital wallet initiative. Set to simplify the storage and verification of digital credentials for over 500 million EU citizens, this legislation represents a significant step forward in digital identity management. By standardizing and securing how citizens interact with governments, businesses, and each other, the EUID wallet is poised to accelerate digital adoption across the region.
A Vision for the Future
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s clear that the Wallet landscape is entering a new phase of maturity and innovation. Google and Apple are pushing the boundaries of what digital Wallets can achieve, while Passcreator remains at the forefront of helping businesses tap into this potential.
At Passcreator, we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished this year, but we’re even more excited about what lies ahead. With new features, integrations, and innovations on the horizon, we’re committed to helping our customers thrive in this ever-changing digital landscape.
Here’s to 2025—a year that promises even greater possibilities in the world of Wallets.
David Sporer
Managing Director, Passcreator