GiftCard Partners Blog

Our society, and our work standards, strive toward perfection. We sometimes feel we must be perfect, the perfect boss, the perfect employee, the perfect parent, etc. We may even think that making no mistakes is the best possible scenario and that a squeaky clean record at work, and in life, is what it's all about. Well let's think about challenging that notion. According to
Kate Hamill of the Freelancer's Union, weaknesses and mistakes can actually bring out some of our other strengths and can help harvest self-reflection that makes us, our staff, our managers and our organizations more successful. Your weaknesses are inextricably tied up in your strengths. Every cause has an effect and every action a reaction. If you invert your weaknesses, you will uncover your strengths. This is where employee imperfection is key. There is no way to invert perfection, nothing to learn from it. Employees can't grow from perfect, and frankly perfection is boring. There's no evolution or growth that comes from perfection and stagnation can be unfulfilling. When employee imperfection is embraced, it can lead to self-compassion. Employees who learn to give themselves a break, instead of getting frustrated, give themselves a chance to improve upon their discovered weaknesses and get a lot farther in their careers. Self-teaching and independent growth are valuable skills that breed great team members and hard workers. Weaknesses don't have to be negative, but rather should be looked at as the ultimate opportunity, not to achieve employee perfection, for employee growth potential.

We are just about halfway through the first month of 2015 and key indicators have the economy trending in a positive direction.  Consumer spending is rising, as are employee wages.  The #1 challenge that retailers will face in 2015 is consumer engagement:
How do you get your customers to stay loyal to your brand and spend their money in your store, instead of spending it elsewhere? In the past, consumer loyalty was based on four basic motivators:
convenience,
service,
pricing, and
brand identity.  While these motivators  still exist today, they have changed in rank and are different for every individual consumer.  Social media platforms and mobile apps also play a huge role in how your consumers identify with your brand.  Knowing where, when, and how your customers interact is crucial to keeping consumers engaged.  Brands can use these tools to listen to every one of their consumers and tailor offers to their specific needs and keep them engaged with your brand. Here are a few tips to help your consumer engagement in 2015: 1.
Reward More Than Just Purchases Loyalty programs were primarily based around purchase behavior.  The trend today is to reward a consumers
action.  Is your consumer checking-in to your store or event on Facebook?  Are they reviewing products or reading content regarding your brand?  Rewarding these actions can keep consumers engaged while providing them with meaningful incentives tailored specifically for them. 2.
Identify Your Most Passionate Customers Knowing your customer is an integral key to serving them better.  Some consumers become very passionate fans of your brand. Rewarding behaviors beyond customer spend will also give you access to valuable customer data.  These consumers should be rewarded for their insight into your brand as they often become your most vocal advocates and dedicated ambassadors. 3.
Stand For Something Sometimes a company needs to focus on more than just making the best product or having the best service, consumers are also looking for an emotional connection with your brand.  A perfect example: Nike and their swoosh logo.  Many consumers buy Nike sneakers because they want to be connected to everything that the swoosh represents - it's long history and connection to the world's most popular athletes.  Emotional connections are the main drivers of engagement, advocacy, and brand loyalty.
Read more about consumer engagement for 2015 along with some great industry examples here!

As we embark on 2015 and our workforce has shaken off the holiday rust it's important to think about how to maintain a culture of motivation not just through the cold winter months but throughout the year. Here are a few ways to keep employee motivation, productivity and job satisfaction at the top of your company's priority list all year long.

Now is a great time for your business to make innovative choices and stay ahead of the competition in 2015.   As a marketer, one must assess the best options to further build your brand and drive greater customer engagement. Digital gift cards have been a growing trend in the gift card industry, and here are the top 5 digital gift card trends for 2015: 1.
 Millennials Embrace Digital Gift Cards. - Millennials want instant gratification.  They want their needs satisfied "right here, right now" so digital gift cards are a logical solution when it comes to this target group.  In a
survey released by InComm last month, 18-35 year olds were likely to purchase at least one digital gift card during the holiday season.  The main reason for digital gift cards is that they can be purchased any place at any time with just the click of a mouse.  There is no need to get out of the house and wait in long lines at the grocery store.  Another appeal of digital gift cards is that they are completely customizable; customers can send personalized text, pictures, and in some cases, even video. 2.
Building Your Brand - Smart marketers realize that in a digital world gift cards open up brand new marketing opportunities.  The best brands are already catering to shifting trends and are inviting customers to a whole new customized gifting experience entirely online.  A great experience is also likely to make a brands campaign go viral with social network sharing. 3.
Digital Gift Cards Will Decrease Average Breakage - One of the reasons that digital gift cards are reigning in popularity is that they are less likely to get lost compared to their plastic counterparts. A
survey by
Bankrate revealed that 40% of 18-29 year olds end up losing their plastic gift cards.  With less loss, consumers are more likely to redeem the full value of the gift card and breakage rates begin to shrink.  Customers will utilize what they pay for and that will strengthen the customer/brand relationship and customers tend to redeem gift cards for significantly more than the gift card value.  Plus with digital gift cards being available on both mobile applications and mobile email, it's less likely the consumer will forget that the card is in their wallet. 4.
Loyalty Programs - As brands have embraced the shift from physical to digital gift cards, loyalty programs are following suit.  As opposed to loyalty programs shipping out individual cards to end-customers, they are able to email a gift card right to their client for instant gratification.  Brands will save on shipping and eliminate issues with lost gift cards and consumers won't have to wait to spend their gift. 5. M
arketers Can Bundle Digital Gift Cards with Products - For many years technology brands such as
Apple Inc., have bundled their brands.  For instance "Purchase a Mac and get a $100 iTunes gift card."  In 2015, more brands will follow this bundling method by offering a physical item with a digital gift card to make a more diversified and enticing promotion. Read the full story on The Top 5 Digital Gift Card Trends for 2015 at
IFeelGoods!  

In today’s hybrid / remote work environment, many employees often feel isolated and lonely. On days with less meetings, employees can go whole days without talking to a coworker live and that can take a toll. Lonely employees are more than twice as likely to look for a new job than employees who are not feeling lonely. 

As we use asynchronous communication more and more, like Slack and Microsoft Teams, sending memes and other lighthearted communications has become more normalized. But what if you’re looking to bring a remote team together?