Marketing Gloucester has been recognised for it innovative GL Card scheme at the annual ATCM Awards.

Beating off stiff competition from over 50 entries from around the country, Gloucester's GL Card was awarded the Best Digital High Street Scheme.

The GL Card is a reward card scheme developed in partnership with Rewarding Visits, Maybe and the Local Data Company; and is co-sponsored by Gloucestershire Live, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Gloucester Quays, King Walk Shopping Centre and Stagecoach West. It is a cross-platform digital system that connects users with retailers and attractions. The physical card has a QR code and can communicate with the VoucherPoint kiosks stationed around the city, digital signage and a mobile app also can be scanned to gain access to offers.

Rewarding Visits was funded over £1 million by Innovate UK to produce a digital scheme that would drive online browsers onto the high street. From this, they developed the GL Card digital ecosystem in partnership with Marketing Gloucester and Gloucester is the first city to adopt and use it.

The GL Card is the first app-based card that links online browsing to the physical high street. The continued success of the GL Card has led to new innovations, including £400,000 from GFirst LEP for the setup of the UK Digital Retail Innovation Centre at the Eastgate Shopping Centre, set to open this September.

Ojay McDonald, chief executive of the Association of Town & City Management, said: "The two things that stood out for ATCM regarding Marketing Gloucester's submission for Best Digital High Street Scheme of 2018 were the ambition of the city and the partnership working across a number of parties. This stood out, allowing the city to achieve excellence in terms of its digital innovation and providing a foundation for a really exciting future. Gloucester is fast becoming a test bed for new ideas that could revolutionise town and city centres. "

Guy Chatburn, from Rewarding Visits, said: "This is a well-deserved award for the team at Marketing Gloucester. It recognises how they have used the integrated GL card, app, and touchscreens to connect hundreds of high street businesses, digitally, to thousands of residents and visitors to the city. With plans to expand to other towns, it is promising to be another exciting year!"

Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester, said: "We are absolutely delighted to win the Best Digital High Street Scheme at the ATCM Awards. We have been keen to embrace innovation to tackle the huge challenges facing the UK retail sector. I am incredibly proud of my team for their hard work and very grateful for the unwavering support of GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership, Gloucester City Council and all of our project partners on the GL Card."