GiftCard Partners Blog

High risk consumer touch points can be risky for retailers. Customers are gained and lost when high risk touch points are not taken advantage of and result in negative consumer experiences. What LoyaltyOne's new study shows is that high risk touch-points get even higher risk when certain demographic segments are at greater risk for negative brand interactions.

Each year the U.S. experiences a flu epidemic.  Right now influenza surveillance systems are showing elevated flu activity.  ILI (influenza-like-illness) has been circulating throughout the country and there have been increased hospitalization rates, especially in the 65 and over population. During influenza seasons, it’s typical for the ILI rate to increase first, then hospitalizations increase. People who are at higher risk for the flu and complications due to the flu are encouraged to get the flu vaccination.  It’s important that those people also get evaluated as quickly as possible if flu symptoms present themselves.  Antiviral drugs can be used early to treat high-risk patients. Do you know how many cases of ILI are currently in your state?  This
interactive map from Columbia University has all the information you need to know about current flu epidemic conditions, forecasts for the rest of the season, and when you can expect flu season to end. It's not too late to protect yourself and your employees throughout flu season with the
CVS Flu Shot eGift Card.
Influenza statistics provided by the CDC.  Click here to learn "What You Need to Know About the 2014-2015 Flu Season".

The plus-size fashion market is very robust.  The average American woman is a size 14 and women wearing size 14 and up now account for 67% of the population.  So it's no surprise that plus-size clothing sales grew more than 5% from May 2013 to April 2014 and the plus-size clothing industry is now a 17.5 billion dollar industry. Social media has done its part in changing the way we think about plus-size fashion.  While the majority of women fall into the plus-size category, many women are uncomfortable identifying themselves as a plus-size shopper, which makes word-of-mouth recommendations difficult.  How do you recommend a store to a friend without offending her?  Sharing your recommendations on Facebook and Twitter is one way.  Retailers are now making plus-size fashion, well, more fashionable!  Retailers are encouraging women to openly embrace their personal style rather than to hide their shape.  Plus-size clothing is moving away from the drab tent-dresses, elastic pants, and polyester.  Customers want options that mimic runway trends at reasonable prices. Two retailers,
Catherines and
Lane Bryant, have been trend setters in the plus-size fashion world for years.
Lane Bryant is the nation's leading women's special size apparel retailer, providing stylish and high-quality fashion in sizes 14-28. The Lane Bryant collection includes a wide selection of career to fashion conscious apparel as well as accessories, footwear, and Cacique® intimate apparel. Lane Bryant fashions are available nationwide at its 775 Lane Bryant stores, and online. Interested in purchasing Lane Bryant gift cards in bulk? We've got you covered
here.
Catherines began as a small clothing boutique catering to plus-size women long before it became fashionable, hoping to bring style, beauty, and confidence to plus-size women. It is the Catherines mission to serve the lifestyle and fit needs of women size 18+ with up-to-date outfits inspiring her to look and feel her best. Current fashions and accessories for career and casual lifestyles for today's plus-size woman, sizes 0X - 5X can be found at nearly 400 specialty stores in 44 states and online at catherines.com. Interested in purchasing Catherines gift cards in bulk? We've got you covered here. Want to be part of the discussion? Join the new hash tag movement to show demand for more sizes - take a photo of something you would buy on the spot if it came in your size and use the hash tag #plussizeplease
Read the New York Times article Plus-Size Fashion Moves Beyond the Muumuu.

Boston Market has their biggest sales day of the year on Thanksgiving Day. They serve over one million people in that one day alone. That’s 400% more customers than usual. And now with more and more retailers opening on Thanksgiving Day, Boston Market is becoming the go to option for retailers to treat their employees that have to work the holiday. But Thanksgiving Day isn’t the only growth the restaurant chain has experienced. People are shifting away from fatty foods and have developed more of an interest in healthier menu items, such as rotisserie chicken. For Boston Market this shift has increased their sales by over 25% in the last few years. Boston Market is looking to expand in both the U.S., opening 12-15 more restaurants in 2015, and a possible international expansion in the Middle East.
 View the recent interview with Boston Market CEO, George Michel here. Boston Market has been serving up fresh, home-style meals and high quality sides since 1985. With more than 490 restaurants from coast to coast, Boston Market is also one of the largest providers of catering services in the U.S. and provides same day ordering and delivery and you can even
order online! Boston Market is just one of the many fun gift card brands offered by
GiftCard Partners and fits into just about any incentive program.

Gift cards are versatile and make as good an employee reward as they do a sales driver to promote your brand.
First Data has released its 2014 Consumer Insights Survey, and it shows that gift cards can do as much for sales numbers as they can for motivating employees toward organizational goals. Here are two key components from the survey.