GiftCard Partners Blog

There has been a recent movement in the fashion industry to embrace diverse body types, especially when it comes to ad campaigns. Recently, Lane Bryant released the #ImNoAngel campaign, in what many say is in response to a Victoria’s Secret ad campaign that featured one very specific body type. The #ImNoAngel campaign invites the world to celebrate women of all shapes and sizes by redefining society's traditional notion of sexy with a powerful core message: ALL women are sexy.

Last week Corporate Responsibility Magazine announced its 16th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List and CVS Health cracked the top 30, representing one of only three retailers that made the list this year. According to CR Magazine the 100 Best List documents 303 data points of disclosure and performance measures - taken from information in seven categories:

Running low on shampoo, toothpaste, paper towels or cold medicine? Grab your free bag with purchase and start filling it up. CVS/pharmacy has announced a promotion for their ExtraCare Members giving them 30% off their purchase at all of their 7,800 store locations. All members have to do is go into their local CVS/pharmacy and scan their ExtraCare card at the ExtraCare Coupon Center and from now until May 26 they will receive a 30% coupon each week to use on more than 3,000 CVS/pharmacy exclusive items. In an article from Retailing Today, Cia Tucci, VP of store brands for CVS/pharmacy, said;

The third-party gift card segment has consistently been one of the fastest growing gift card distribution channels for the last seven years. Third-party can easily be your largest sales channel outside of your own stores. Actively engaging in third-party sales can increase your brand footprint, reaching consumers that may have not known about your brand otherwise. Having ongoing, frequent dialogue with your third-party aggregator is key to understanding what exactly their retail partners are doing to drive your gift card sales. The aggregators provide you with access to your sales, but do you know why your sales may be trending up or down? Ensuring that your third-party gift cards are properly merchandised and in stock is one of the most critical components to why your sales may be trending positively or negatively. If your gift card is not available when a customer wants to buy it, you have a lost a sale and a visit to your establishment. Here is a list of additional questions to consider when analyzing your third-party program:

Employees are your brand. They are the ultimate liaison between you and your customers. No customers, no business, so it's critical to make an employee investment and consider it an investment in your brand. In order to ensure your employees are the strongest representation of your brand you must create a culture of employee engagement. Here are three ways to do that.