GiftCard Partners Blog

Loyalty Programs are an important facet of the incentive industry for B2B gift cards or buying gift cards in bulk. Gift cards have been touted as one of the most coveted gifts in universe (well, pretty much). Are you offering gift cards for reward points as a way to keep your loyalty program alive with customers? In a recent article “5 Ways to Keep Loyalty Points from Expiring”, it’s noted that the massive quantities of rewards points that consumers hold “has created a headache for the companies that offer them”.  BUT – aren’t these “loads of points” also an opportunity for loyalty programs to try to engage customers 1 last time? Will offering highly coveted gift cards for points get these folks back in the game? Surely the engaged customer is more valuable than the dormant one. This article highlights great ways for consumers to keep their points in play, but these tactics should also be looked at as strategies, by the programs themselves, to promote the ongoing use of their program. Consumer or program provider…
take a look at these loyalty program strategies for the new year. Source:
The Toronto Star:
5 Ways to Keep Loyalty Points from Expiring

In the spirit of the new year, and burning off those holiday calories, it is time to make sure that employers are keeping their employees healthy going into 2012. In a country where 65% of adults don't exercise regularly, 50% have high cholesterol, 25% have high blood pressure, and 30% are obese it is critical that employers, who monopolize adults waking hours promote healthy living. Incorporating a wellness program, where employees are rewarded with small bonuses such as small denomination gift cards for participation in an exercise regiment, or for participating in a diet program pays off. Government and industry statistics show that for every $1 invested in wellness programs employers save between $3 and $5 in health care costs for their employees.   Keep your employees healthy this new year, and it will save your company money.
To learn more check out the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader article.

GCP serves many kinds of incentive and gift card programs, including corporate health & wellness programs, workplace safety programs, employee motivation and recognition, benefits and sales incentives, and customer loyalty and rewards programs. This white paper is the result of a comprehensive survey and includes gift card usage success stories offered by HR professionals, sales managers, healthcare administrators, non-profit organization managers, and more. You will find this report full of innovative ways to incent and reward your employees, partners, customers, and volunteers to incentivize and build loyalty.
Click here to visit GCP’s 2011 Gift Card Usage Whitepaper page to download

It is widely known and accepted that employee engagement is critical to productivity and improving your company's bottom line.  As 2011 draws to a close and we look to 2012, and a (hopefully) improving job market, employment agency Randstad released some concerning numbers this week. In their annual "Employee Attachment Index" survey, which measures employee-employer attachment, it appears that employee engagement is decreasing and that many employees are looking to move on, as soon as the market is more stable.

As the economy starts to recover and 2011 comes to a close, more employers are bringing back the year-end reward. This often comes in the form of a bonus or a small gift. These types of rewards had tapered off during the recent recession, but are now coming back to the workplace. According to a new Careerbuilder.com survey, 40% more employers are planning to give bonuses this year, which is a 7% increase from 2010. What is almost more compelling is that 73% of that group is giving the same amount of year-end reward as last year, with 14% of employers giving an increased reward from 2010. This survey and similar research have proven that simple rewards are appreciated and motivating to employees. 81% of employees think that rewards are a nice thing to do for employees but should not be expected, so giving small simple rewards such as small bonuses, or a small denomination gift card, will still provide the motivation and desired outcome employers are looking for. So, as 2011 winds down, make your employees a priority in planning for 2012 and let them know how much they matter to your company.  
To learn more about the comeback of year-end rewards check out the ThomasNet News article.