GiftCard Partners Blog

Even though it is not yet Halloween financial analysts and retail experts are already working to predict holiday spending.  With an unstable economy and uncertain times ahead most shoppers will be keeping tight budgets, and not making extravagant purchases.  According to a recent Accenture survey "One quarter of shoppers (24 percent) plan to have a 'thrifty' holiday season and one in five (18 percent) admit that they will be 'focused on necessities', just 6 percent admit to planning 'extravagant' or 'unrestrained' holiday spending." In this type of market, where consumers are being conservative with their holiday budgets gift givers want to ensure that they give "targeted" gifts.  These are gifts where the givers' dollar is stretched and the giver is sure the receiver is going to use and enjoy the gift.  Gift cards are great examples of "targeted" gifts, they are meaningful, and guaranteed to be enjoyed.  Allowing a friend or employee to enjoy dinner with their family, or to splurge on a new outfit is a win/win; a low risk purchase for the giver and a high reward for the receiver. With 43% of survey respondents claiming that they have less income than last year, and historic economic swings, it is going to be a year of low risk gift purchases. Remember the value of gift cards as you make your holiday purchases this year, whether it be for your friends, or employees.  
For more information on the recent Accenture survey click here. 

Loyalty programs are an important channel for GCP to sell our gift cards into, so we thought our loyalty companies (clients) as well as our retailer audience would find this article interesting and educational. It outlines an interesting argument for integrating a holistic approach to the business, which includes loyalty, resulting in a cohesive customer experience. As a consumer, I have received offers that exclude me because I am already a loyalty member…a classic show of “the disconnect that customers feel (that) is the result of the siloed approach to loyalty programs…” Read on @ Retail Customer Experience:
Beyond a loyalty program: Using loyalty data to create a unified strategy    

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.          

Canadian small businesses are choosing people over profits, as consumers face the rising prices of everything from food, to gas, and even insurance.  Business owners are saying that they would rather absorb those costs through their businesses, than pass the financial burden on to their employees.  According to the American Express Small Business Monitor small businesses react to uncertain economic times by favoring long term employee and customer loyalty over short term economic gain.  Businesses see their employees as the most important asset to the company, over monetary revenue. Do you think this attitude could or does translate to small business behavior in the United States? Do you feel that the economic climate in Canada is different enough from the United States that small businesses can afford to make a larger investment in their employees? The GCP team found this article particularly intriguing, and are interested in your opinions on this issue, feel free to leave us a comment or tweet us @giftcardpartner.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!   For more information check out this
Financial Post article

Green Stamps were introduced in 1896 as the world's first customer loyalty program and well ... people still like free stuff or want a really great deal. Buy one get one free, frequent flier miles,