Visa has been working with Beyond Analysis for three years as part of a strategy to manage loyalty programmes by analysing the spending patterns captured in card transactions. The card scheme says the output from the data can help banks and retailers to better segment and target their marketing efforts and drive brand loyalty, purchase behaviour and traffic.

The provision of personalised discount and reward programmes is expected to become more important as a driving force in the uptake of emerging mobile payment schemes. As an antecedent to this, Visa last year partnered with Gap to launch a text message-based personalised marketing campaign that uses customers' Visa transaction history to identify suitable offers.

Peter Ayliffe, president and CEO of Visa Europe says: "This investment in Beyond Analysis reflects Visa Europe's commitment to redefining its relationship with retailers, helping them to build stronger relationships with customers and secure increased market share. Enhanced data analytics forms a key part of our vision for the future of payments alongside new technology such as mobile payments and e-wallets."

Mariano Dima, chief marketing officer, Visa Europe, will join the Beyond Analysis Board as part of the investment.