GiftCard Partners Blog

Here are a few tips for establishing loyalty programs every small business should know about to maximize success: 1. Do unto others. 2. Clearly disclose all program benefits and rules (including potential restrictions). 3. Offer attractive redemption options. 4. Communicate with customers. 5. Empower employees. For more information on these best practice rules check out this
article, and keep these in mind when building your company's next loyalty program.

At Lucy Wortham James Elementary in St. James Missouri students are not just encouraged to have a perfect attendance record, they are rewarded.  Every student with a perfect attendance record at the end of each month is entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate sponsored by a local business.  This shows how prevalent incentive programs, and gift card rewards are becoming, even for kids.  Teaching kids the importance of punctuality, and positive work ethic is important.  Gift cards also allow for a sense of independence as the kids can ultimately pick out their own reward.

GiftCard Partners attended the 2nd annual Prepaid Congress this week, so over the coming week or so we will be posting information from the Congress. E-certifications, are an emerging closed loop gift card technology within the incentive industry that allow retailers to instantly deliver incentives to their customers through either cell phone technology, or online.  According to the Mercator Group 33% of retailers in the U.S. currently offer e-certification incentives.  E-certifications can save incentive companies fulfillment charges, and provide instant gratification to the customers receiving the incentives.  E-certifications are opening up new markets for retailers who are able to participate because e-certifications are opening up new avenues to contact customers and deliver marketing messages.  Some studies even suggest that e-certs are more effective at delivering memorable long lasting marketing messages than physical gift cards.

Who's Leading the Pack in Digital Gift Cards? The Answer May Surprise You CVS Caremark ranks high in the best of the best as the in-store to web spend shift accelerates. A leading research company along with CashStar analyzed the various digital gift card offerings of
the Internet Retailer Top 100 online. The findings will surprise you!
Read the full story
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How do Small Businesses Feel About the Healthcare Overhaul? One third of small business owners NOT currently offering healthcare benefits say they will be more inclined to start offering those benefits this year.  The tax credits now available to small businesses offering healthcare to their employees is making a significant impact on how small business view their benefits packages and how they will offer them in the future. 
Read the full story. 
HR Speak: What will You Gain from a Health & Wellness Incentive Program?
  
Are they Worth it? Employees of small businesses across the country are receiving rewards for healthy behavior both in and out of the office.  With the implementation of wellness programs in offices across the country, healthcare costs are decreasing for employers, and some of the saved money gets distributed to employees for healthy behavior.  Learn more about how your business could save money & how to make your employees healthier.
Read the full story.
Implement the Latest in eGift Cards from CVS Gift Cards have been taken to a new level of convenience with CashStar’s Mobile Gift Card App.  Using the CashStar app allows eGift Card recipients to redeem their gift cards directly from their phones in retail locations, including CVS!  The app creates a bar code with the value of the gift card allowing the cashier at the location to simply scan the bar code to apply the gift card.  To learn more about this secure, innovative and convenient technology,
read the full story.
About CVS/pharmacy Gift Cards