GiftCard Partners Blog

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!

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.

In last quarter’s
Industry Trend Report, GiftCard Partners published an article:
Are you an online retailer ...or Not?, where we investigated which of the Top 50 Retailers are accepting gift cards as payment online. We discussed the potential missed opportunities for retailers who are not taking full advantage of the online channel and getting in touch with their gift card e-retail side, especially as mobile technology gains importance in consumers’ buying choices. On September 29th, Loyalty 360 will be holding a webinar on just this topic.
Expanding Your Program’s Reach in the Complex World of E-Commerce; they will examine the role of traditional
loyalty programs in the rapidly expanding world of online commerce and the industry players that are shaping loyalty in online commerce.
Click here for the webinar overview and to register.          

There were many workshops, panels and info-sessions at this year’s IMA Summit. GCP’s Deb Merkin moderated the highly attended panel discussion: Challenges of Moving Bulk eCerts/mCerts Through the Distribution Pipeline. There was an overarching theme that carried throughout the discussion amongst panelists and attendees; there is a clear need for technology based gift card industry standards. Starting with what they are called, there are many terms used – “let’s standardize” was the consensus. IMA will survey leaders in our industry to cull common terms and help create standards. Another standard isn’t quite as simple to create: a common technology platform or industry technology standards for eCerts/mCerts.  Some companies have a legacy system or a middleware provider with technology that isn’t compatible with the technology running a loyalty program’s platform (just one example). This issue affects retailers’ willingness to adopt eCerts/mCerts in the B2B marketplace, therefore meeting or not meeting the wishes of B2B customers and the consumers demanding technology based gift cards. The goal is common amongst all parties; we want to make it simpler for retailers to adopt technology based gift cards and for customers in the B2B market to purchase eCerts and mCerts in bulk. Plainly stated…standardization will be a win-win for our industry.    

Next week at the Incentive Marketing Association Annual Summit look for GiftCard Partners' Cheif Operating Officer Deb Merkin to moderate a panel entitled: "Challenges of Moving Bulk eCerts/mCerts Through the Distribution Pipeline."  The session will discuss the challenges and benefits of eCert and mCert technology and how they can and are expanding the incentive gift card market.  Deb will be moderating a panel of industry experts in discussion on this cutting edge topic.  The session will take place on Tuesday August 9th from 1:45 until 2:45.  
For more information check out the IMA Summit schedule here.