GiftCard Partners Blog

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

As employers look for more effective ways to engage their workforce, reduce healthcare costs, and boost morale, corporate wellness programs continue to evolve. One standout example comes from Xceed Financial Credit Union, where leadership built a holistic wellness initiative that blends traditional health goals with community and personal development.

The B2B gift card landscape has continued to evolve rapidly, with the first quarter of 2024 presenting new trends and insights that are reshaping the industry. The holiday season of 2023 was particularly robust, exceeding our expectations in both consumer and corporate sectors. This report provides a comprehensive look at the latest trends, statistics, and projections for 2024, based on recent market data and our proprietary survey results.

It is no secret that social media use is on the rise.  More people are using it, more businesses are using it, and we take it with us wherever we go on our phones all day, every day. Adult social media use is up from 61% in 2010 to 65% this year, and up from 5% in 2005, according to LinkedIn.  43% of American adults say they visit a social media site at lease once a day. As a marketing tool social media is also growing.  If there is this large of a captive audience in the social media arena, and since the costs are so low, social media seems like a logical choice. 86% of B2B firms say they use social media as a marketing tool, compared to just 82% of B2C firms, according to socialmediab2b.com.  Initially when social media blew onto the marketing scene the popular conclusion was that B2C was the only effective way to use social media communication.  But as businesses increase their social media presence B2B communication through social media is increasing.   How does your business use social media? If it doesn't, what is holding you back?   References:
Adult Use of Social Media Soars
28 Awesome B2B Social Media Statistics

Raises matter. In fact, fair compensation is a baseline expectation for today’s workforce. But if you're relying solely on salary increases to drive satisfaction and retention, you're missing the mark and possibly missing opportunities to strengthen employee engagement in more meaningful ways.