GiftCard Partners Blog

eGift and mobile gift cards are a popular topic as excitement grows around digital technologies. CreditCards.com reports that one half of the major gift card brands that offer eGift cards only started offering them this year. Retailers and merchants are ramping up to take advantage of growing mobile and tablet buying segments, as they are quickly becoming some of the most valuable online shoppers. Interestingly, when GCP recently surveyed B2B gift card buyers; we found that the B2B market still prefers to purchase physical plastic cards over

Wellesley, MA – November 1, 2011 – Today
GiftCard Partners (GCP) announced the addition of four new client brands: The Limited, Burlington Coat Factory, Speedway gas, and Boston Market. GCP acts as an outsourced program management team and extension of their retailer and merchant clients’ gift card marketing teams by creating or further developing their B2B gift card programs. GCP places these brands into corporate gift card programs such as employee incentive programs, loyalty programs, workplace programs like health and wellness, fundraising, Scrip, and consumer promotions (incentive/gift with purchase).

At GCP, we are constantly monitoring gift card usage… well, usage in a “bulk way”. Check out our recent favorite picks for gift card usage!

Over the last few years, in reaction to the US recession settling in; shoppers have doubled-up their holiday purchases in order to stretch the family dollar beyond the holiday deals. “Shoppers say they intend to spend $130.43, on average, on sales of clothes, electronics, home goods and other items for themselves or their families, up 16 percent from last year’s $112.20”, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. In the coming weeks, CVS/pharmacy and GiftCard Partners will launch a B2B promotion in that exact vein. The campaign is directly tied to employers’ holiday giving to employees, allowing employers to save money and GIVE MORE. At a store like CVS, gift card recipients can cash in on holiday deals to purchase every-day items for themselves and their families in addition to their holiday shopping. Visit
Holiday Shoppers Want Deals for Themselves to learn more about this consumer trend, and GCP will deliver more in early November to help employers save while giving more to their employees for the holidays. Source: Chicago Sun-Times

This was my first MoShow. I was struck by how interesting it was to connect the dots between so many gift card industry players and perspectives. Present were partners (tech & business alliances), customers (channel partners & end customers), professional organizations, and clients and prospective clients (retailers/merchants), all whom found the MoShow an important place to be. In that vein; each GiftCard Partners attendee offered me their take-aways from the show. I had a sense that the take-aways would be diverse…and they are!
Ed Shulkin: “Employee Wellness Programs topped the list of programs employers were looking for.”
Deb Merkin: “Our plan was the following and it led to just the kind of activity we wanted from the show. Prepare - Do your homework- know who is attending and reach out and make appointments through Motivation Connect. Penetrate - Penetrate and engage new and old accounts through intimate meetings.Progress – Move potential sales through the sales funnel by following up after the motivation show.”
Melina Balboni: “This year’s Motivation Show proved to be a great ground for networking with potential new clients. We found that several established companies are interested in taking their business to the next level and looking for creative ways of reaching the ever-growing end-user market”.
Diane Freeland: “Overall, this year’s Motivation Show had fewer exhibitors and reduced attendance, but we found it’s becoming a great venue for partner meetings and better networking opportunities. Canada is a continually growing B2B frontier. Several partners asked us about international redemption options with Canada topping the list.”
Kate Balboni: “The new “Final Rule” law issued by FinCEN was a big topic of discussion at the MoShow’s IGCC meeting! The new anti-money laundering regulations will directly impact the Gift Card Industry.  For in-depth information regarding the “Final Rule” by FinCEN, please visit:
http://www.bankbryancave.com/2011/09/fincen-issues-final-rule-on-prepaid-access
 Cynthea Baldwin Florsheim: “The show confirmed to me that plastic cards are here to stay – there is definitely more and more interest in eCerts; however, I believe we will see complimentary growth in that market vs. plastic being replaced.”
Stacey Sicurella: “The show really allowed me to learn about and communicate with the contingents that glue to our industry and our company together. I was also fascinated at how many meetings we had going on, and often at one time…a good sign for gift cards from merchant and customer perspectives. What Did YOU Get out of the 2011 Motivation Show? Please leave us your comments HERE.