GiftCard Partners Blog

Although we all know that gift cards are nothing new, it's also clear that they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Much of their stable market has to do with the new digital trends and shifts happening within the gift card industry. With these shifts, comes a change in consumer perception of gift cards as well. Gift cards are a way for retailers to appeal to their consumers, making loyal shoppers out of many of their customers through gift card reward programs. But gift cards have also remained popular as purchases for, well, gifts. Much of this is due to convenience, especially with the growth of digital e-cards, which make it simple to purchase and send quickly and without waiting in line. For those retailers  looking to increase their gift card sales, however, they may have to offer a little something extra along with them. According to a new survey,
17 percent of consumers won't buy a gift card until they see a promotion of some sort happening along side it, and 23 percent take promotions into consideration when deciding where to buy their gift cards between competing retailers. But as anyone in retail or the gift card industry knows, no matter how the technology or promotions change, gift cards will always give customers an incentive to visit your store, a gift that's priceless.
Statistics are courtesy of Incentive -- read the full article here.

Spring has sprung and the winter is finally melting away. Apparently, along with flowers shooting up toward the sky, so is consumer spending. This month, the 
LA Times published an article about the recent surge in retail sales. According to them, retail sales saw their largest growth in one and a half years during the month of March. It's the best figure seen since September 2012. "'Spring is in the air indeed,' Rupkey said. 'The economy is on firm footing today and the future looks bright,'" wrote the 
LA Times. As tax refunds come through, many experts believe that we'll only see a continuous rise in retail spending. Data showed that retail sales, with the exception of automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, went up by 0.8 percent in March over February. According to the Commerce Department, seasonally adjusted retail sales grew by 1.1 percent last month.
The growth in retail sales means good things for businesses all around. It's a sign that the economy is on the rise, as consumers are spending more freely. It's also great for those with loyalty and rewards programs, who now have bigger budgets and more customers than ever to work with. There's no doubt about it, things are looking up for all of us!
Read the full article in the LA Times.

At GiftCard Partners, we strive to provide incentive and loyalty options featuring cards to the most popular brands on the market. One of our top-selling brands is The Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant known for its delicious food, Earth-shattering cheesecake and, of course, its homey, welcoming feeling. With over 30 years as a casual dining restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory uses fresh ingredients on over 200 different recipes. 

Because  The Cheesecake Factory gift cards can be used at any of the restaurants, nationwide, they make for a convenient and popular reward at countless loyalty, reward or incentive programs. At GiftCard Partners, we offer these cards to businesses of all sizes. That's why we have two options when it comes to ordering gift cards from The Cheesecake Factory:

For small businesses... We know how tough it can be to find reasonable prices as a smaller business. Because smaller companies sometimes miss out on discounts that larger ones get from buying in bulk, we want to make your gift card purchase as affordable and convenient as possible. That's why we offer:

It's no secret, people get sick and when battling a painful sore throat or ear infection waiting is NOT an option. Hence the growing popularity of walk-in health care clinics. CVS/pharmacy, the largest retail clinic operator in the Washington area, has more than 800 clinics nationwide, with plans to add more that 150 additional clinics by the end of 2014.
So what's the driving force? Several factors come into play fueling the trend of these walk-in health care clinics, one of which is the Affordable Care Act...sound familiar, you may have heard of it? With millions now being provided insurance through Medicaid, private plans or under their parents plans until age 26, getting in to see your primary care doctor quickly will be more difficult. This, along with a number of other factors, has allowed the perfect forum for retail clinics, like MinuteClinic, to take center stage. The clinics are staffed by nursed practitioners and physicians assistants and can treat anything from pink eye to strep throat, to sinus infections and minor injuries. Gift cards are even available at all 800 MinuteClinic locations and discounts are available on volume purchases. Learn more about buying MinuteClinic gift cards and giving the gift of health
here. Read more from The Washington Post about the growing trend of health care clinics
here.

In the past decade, payment infrastructure has quietly evolved, but the change is reaching a tipping point. What was once a back-office concern for banks now plays a direct role in how brands engage customers, issue incentives, and deliver value in real time.