GiftCard Partners Blog

It is great in today's business environment to see a large national brand sticking to its roots, what made it successful. Whole Foods is doing just that with its Local Producer Loan Program.

As organizations head into the holiday season, the challenge is familiar but amplified: people still want to celebrate, but budgets are tighter, expectations are higher, and the margin for getting it wrong feels slimmer than ever.

We know gift cards are an effective employee gift or reward and make a great addition to an incentive program for employers. In this space we rarely talk about how effective gift cards are in driving sales for retailers. First Data just released a new study which uncovered convincing evidence that gift cards provide major advantages to retailers too.

Employee rewards have evolved far beyond the old “Employee of the Month” plaque. Today’s workforce expects recognition that feels personal, flexible, and connected to their goals. According to a Gallup study, employees who receive frequent, meaningful recognition are 4x more likely to be engaged and 5x more likely to feel connected to company culture.

Canadian mobile gift card vendor, Kiind, has put the gift card industry on its head. Kiind offers a pay-when-used gift card system
 that doesn't charge the purchaser until the recipient has taken the gift card in-store and used it. Since unused gift cards have cost both retailers and gift-givers an immense amount of money, Kiind's technology allows gift cards to become a lower-risk proposition.