GiftCard Partners Blog

Recognition in the workplace is a powerful motivator, providing employees with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Studies consistently show that peer-to-peer recognition plays a crucial role in employee engagement, productivity, and retention.

Sometimes in the enormity of running a retail operation it's easy forget about the front line employees. These are usually the hourly wage earners who may not be the most senior employees but are the employees who have the most impact on consumer experience and can dictate how loyal your customers are. Here are 3 key components to arm your front line associates with to ensure your consumers expectations are fully met. 1.
Tools. Give store associates the tools they need to be successful. This may mean arming them with a tablet with inventory software or ensuring there is an extra manager on duty during your busiest days to keep things running smoothly. 2.
Technology. In today's ever evolving retail landscape this could mean a number of different things. It could mean having mobile devices on the floor in places where beacons are pushing messages to consumers, or having associates armed with tablets to execute mobile checkouts in areas other than the traditional cash registers. But remember it's not all about having the latest and greatest technologies. Find out what spots are weak or need improving on and the right kinds of gadgets that can help improve these areas to see success. 3.
Training. The most important thing to arm store associates with is knowledge. Equip them with the know-how to handle any situation. This builds confidence and autonomy that is usually more valuable in situational problem solving than any piece of technology or tool.
For more information on how to arm your front line store associates with the three T's and beyond head over to Loyalty360.

Beacon technology has the potential to change the way we all shop. However, there is a "creepy" factor to knowing that stores are tracking your movements around their retail locations. So, some retailers are mixing a human element into beacon technology, and the results are surprisingly pleasant. Some retailers testing out beacons with messaging in either a native app or push messaging are using their employees as part of the beacon experience. Training employees on the beacon messaging and positioning employees in critical areas of the store allows employees to gain extra responsibility while improving the customer experience and removing the intrusive factor that beacons can present. Employee training on cutting edge technology provides professional development opportunities for your workforce and a unique chance for growth in the critical customer service area of your business. Offering small incentives like gift cards to employees who volunteer to step up and receive the training and take on extra responsibility is a great way to reinforce innovation at your organization. Think of beaconing as an opportunity to advance your workforce as well as advancing the technology in your stores. Head over to
MediaPost for more information.

In hoping to prove the value of whole grocery, Whole Foods Market is launching its first ad campaign this week. Crazy, right?

In an effort to vamp up their customer service, Boston Market has recently rolled out its new customer service initiative: Guest Service Excellence program just in time for the holidays. In a recent article from QSR, 
Boston Market Ramps Up Customer Services, Tony Buford, the’s brands chief operating officer said, “Like any service-oriented business, guest experience and customer service are items that we’re constantly working to perfect.” Corporate executives hit the road to visit Boston Market locations all across the U.S. as part of the program roll out in order to personally introduce employees to the new touchpoint in the program. The program focuses on five key points: