Credit card giant MasterCard recently announced its acquisition of Truaxis, a startup that focuses on targeted consumers through promotional discounts, according to Mobile Payments Today. The startup's collaboration with the vast resources and network of MasterCard could mean improved real-time delivery of discounts and take advantage of advanced analytics.

Truaxis had previously focused on offering cardholders rewards and promotions on monthly statements. The company creates targeted offers and consumer-specific deals by considering a number of different variables, including purchase histories and shopping locations.

"The offer and rewards industry is rapidly evolving as consumers have demonstrated their desire for customized offers and savings that truly matter to their individual lifestyles," Tim Murphy, the chief product officer of MasterCard, said in a statement. He added that MasterCard sought out Truaxis primarily for the startup's expertise, intellectual property and team of software engineers, while specifying that both companies hope to use the collaboration to evolve the business model from traditional coupon deals to something more sophisticated.

The advent of mobile payment processing technologies has placed even greater emphasis on the promotion of effective loyalty programs. According to Mobile Payments Today, the challenge for companies is to make these promotional channels relevant enough to help consumers overcome preconceived biases about receiving loyalty program and deal offers. Additionally, mobile payments provide better optimization for promotions when coupled with efforts to identify, recognize and reward recurring customers. This is a similar trend that MasterCard is attempting to take advantage through its acquisition of Truaxis. In this day and age of vast dissemination of mass information, it is more important than ever for companies to be targeted in delivering their personalized messages.