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November 15, 2023
Small Business Tips
Gift cards are the most popular present for the holidays and special occasions all year long, and if you’re a small business, offering gift cards gives your customers a chance to give their loved ones a more unique (but still flexible) present. In this article, we’ll explore all the benefits gift cards can offer your small business. But first, let’s dive into the “how.”
Getting started with gift cards is easy. You just need to choose a robust solution that handles the logistics—like sourcing the physical cards and making them communicate with your POS—and leaves you free to focus on your business.
If you already have an Electronic Payments merchant account, you can get free gift card processing through our eGiftSolutions® service. This includes:
Want a custom design that shows off your brand? No problem! Our in-house design team can make it happen, along with in-store marketing collateral to advertise your gift card service.
Once you’ve gotten started, you can check out our resources on increasing your gift card sales to make the most of your program.
According to First Data, the average consumer spends $59 more than the original value of their gift card, and when choosing a gift card, 33% of purchasers spend more than they would on a traditional gift. This means you’re selling more upfront and later on when the recipient returns to cash in their present.
Having gift cards on hand opens up a new strategy for returns at your store. With gift cards, you’ll have the choice to easily offer in-store credit rather than directly providing cash back, encouraging customers to make exchanges rather than take their money elsewhere.
Do you always spend the total value of a gift card all at once? Most people don’t, and that means they’ll have extra incentive to return to your store multiple times, giving you more chances to catch their attention, build trust, and perhaps even get them to consider giving the gift of a visit to your store to someone else in the future.
If you’re thinking about implementing a loyalty program using gift cards, you’re on track to build stronger brand loyalty.
Though it may depend on the program you enroll in, many gift card solutions—including eGiftSolutions—offer collateral to help you market your brand and gift cards within your store. Think window decals, endcap displays, and in-store signage—all available to promote more sales through gift cards.
Gift cards are the top present for the holiday season, both for buying and receiving. Come December, gift-givers need to check off their lists. You probably know the feeling from personal experience—you have a whole set of people to find presents for, and gift cards are the fastest and easiest way to guarantee you get your loved one a gift that they’ll make good use of. Gift cards have value all year long, but if you don’t already have a gift card solution, enrolling in one before the holiday season is a must.
Gift cards are great at getting new customers into your store since receiving free money is typically plenty of incentive to get someone in your doors and eager to look around. Many people who might not have ever known about your business will get swept in if they receive one of your gift cards, giving you another chance to win a loyal customer.
Ideally, you’ll want your gift cards to get used so you can take advantage of the other benefits on this list, but it’s certainly an added bonus that any unused gift card is essentially pure profit for your business. Free money without losing any inventory, at little cost or effort to you, is an incredible deal.
Running a small business means constantly trying to compete with large stores that have more resources and a larger footprint. Gift cards are one way to get an edge on these bigger businesses since they allow you to compete on convenience when it comes to gift-giving. Plus, small businesses like yours can even have an advantage over big chains when customers seek more personal, unique gift card options.
With so many advantages to offering gift cards, it’s time to get started! The easiest way—and a great option if you’re feeling pressed for time as the holidays approach—is with eGiftSolutions’ QuickStartSM program. Enroll to get eGiftSolutions’ free gift card processing, online reporting, and 24/7 technical support, along with the special QuickStart offer of 50 free pre-designed gift cards with no expiration date and shipping within four to five business days.
Get started now at eGiftSolutions.
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Have you ever felt that your concerns were not heard? Or your needs were not met? Or you were let down? Or, have you been overly impressed? Pleased with a tech support call resolution? Or had an awesome experience with one of our sales representative, ISO Offices, or Relationship Managers?
It can sometimes be difficult to get an answer or a sensitive ear for an issue you may be having. Or, you may just need help reaching the right department. Who handles paper shipments? Who programs my equipment? What if I don't like my sales rep? How do I reach your CEO? Sometimes, it just helps having a direct email address which goes to a person that can "get the job done."
The Ombudsman is a position at Electronic Payments that is your conduit to the proper channels and persons that can field your request, answer your need, and receive your compliment. Fill out the form below and we'll try our very best to assist you as quickly as we can.
Comments, compliments, criticisms and problems... Please don't hesitate to let us know!
"*" indicates required fields
We're human, promise! And your issue is important to us. While this is an auto-response, a real human has received this email and will direct it to the right department so you can get the attention necessary to help with your request. We'll be in touch soon. In the meantime, here are several avenues of help we offer:
Technical Support Help Desk (24/7):(800) 966-5520 Option 3
Merchant Support Center:www.merchantsupportcenter.com
Customer Service (M-F, 9am - 6pm EST):(800) 966-5520 Option 4
POS Help Center:help.exatouch.com
Talk to you soon,The Electronic Payments Team
Copyright© Electronic Payments, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Electronic Payments is a registered Independent Sales Organization of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, CA and Commercial Bank of California, Los Angeles, CA.Electronic Payments is a Registered MasterCard© TPP American Express may require separate approval.
Privacy Policy →|Do Not Sell My Personal Information →
Offer: If an Eligible Business joins Electronic Payments' Cygma platform between 7/1/24 and 9/30/24 and processes a minimum of $500 in Mastercard card transations within thirty (30) days of joining the platform, the Eligible Business will receive a $50 Mastercard Prepaid® Card, while supplies last ("Offer").
Eligibility: This Offer is open only to U.S. businesses that are created under the laws of the U.S. and are incorporated or otherwise considered a valid legal entity in good standing in its state of formation as of the start of this Offer through gift award ("Eligible Business"). For purposes of these Terms, the following parties are collectively considered the "Released Parties": Electronic Payments, Inc. ("Sponsor"), Mastercard International Incorporated ("Mastercard"), Mastercard customer financial institutions, credit unions, alliances, processors (collectively, "Mastercard FI"), and teamDigital Promotions, Inc. ("Administrator"), and each of their respective parent companies, affiliates, retailers, distributors, subsidiaries, Gift providers and advertising/promotion agencies. Void where prohibited by law. By participating in this Offer, Eligible Businesses: (a) agree to be bound by these Terms and by the interpretation of these Terms by Sponsor and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects; and (b) acknowledge the Eligible Business is in compliance with these Terms.
Offer Period: The Offer begins at 12:00AM Eastern Time ("ET") on 7/1/24 and ends at 11:59PM ET on 9/30/24, or while supplies last, whichever comes first ("Offer Period"). The designated computer clock of the Administrator is the official time-keeping device in connection with the Offer.
How to Qualify for Offer: During the Offer Period, Eligible Businesses must join the Electronic Payments' Cygma platform (https://electronicpayments.com) and process a minimum of $500 in Mastercard card ("Card") transactions within thirty (30) days of joining the platform. Purchase transactions involving PIN-based Debit and international transactions, or other transactions requiring a PIN for completion, are not eligible for this Offer. Purchases made from international cards, unauthorized card use or those made with lost, stolen or fraudulent cards, or from transactions that require a PIN for completion are void. Only purchase transactions made with an eligible Card for an account that is in good standing at time of purchase and issued by Mastercard to an identifiable Eligible Business (as set forth herein) and that are processed and submitted through Mastercard's U.S. transaction processing system during the Ofer Period are eligible for this Offer.
Gift Details: Upon completion of this process (and verification by Sponsor), a $50 Mastercard Prepaid® card ("Gift") will be emailed to the first two thousand (2,000) Eligible Businesses who qualify. Each Eligible Business will receive their Gift within six (6) to eight (8) weeks after the Offer Period has ended. Limit one (1) Gift per Eligible Business. If the number of Gifts issued exceeds the number of Gifts available, for any reason, including technical, computer, seeding, human or other errors, the Released Parties reserve the right to award the listed number of Gifts based on the time and date stamp in which the $500 in Mastercard card transations are processed. Gift will be awarded in the Eligible Business name. No transfer, assignment, cash redemption, equivalents, or substitution of Gifts, except by Sponsor due to Gift unavailability, or other reasons determined by Sponsor, and then for a Gift of equal/greater value. Offer Gift may not be redeemed for cash. All Gift details not specified in these Terms will be determined in Sponsor's sole and absolute discretion. Gifts details and availability are subject to change and provider's rules and restrictions, and in the event that Sponsor is unable to provide the recipient with his or her Gift, the Sponsor may elect to provide recipient with the approximate value of such item in cash or award an alternate item of comparable or greater value. All Gift(s) are awarded "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). Gift recipients will be solely responsible for all federal, state and/or local taxes, and for any other fees or costs associated with the Gift(s) they receive, regardless of whether they, in whole or in part, are used. Unclaimed Gift(s) will be forfeited. The Offer Parties are not responsible for and will not replace any lost, mutilated, or stolen Gift(s) or any Gift that is undeliverable or does not reach the recipient because of an incorrect or changed address. The Released Parties are not responsible for and will not replace any lost, mutilated or stolen Gifts. Mastercard Prepaid® card restrictions apply: http://prepaidcarddisclosure.com/US.
Privacy: The participation in this Offer constitutes your agreement and consent to these Terms, participation in this Offer and your consent for Sponsor to obtain, use, and transfer your business name, business email, business phone number and other information for the purpose of administering this Offer, awarding the Gifts and to comply with applicable legal requirements. Released Parties are not responsible for late, illegible, lost, stolen, incomplete, late, misdirected, mutilated, delayed, garbled, damaged, inaccurate or undelivered Gifts or other communications or information (collectively, "Data"), defect/delay in transmission or communication; inaccurate or incomplete information; theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of Data; or for telephonic, human or computer failures, problems or errors, interruptions in service due to system upgrades, repairs, modifications or other causes; failures or malfunctions of connections, satellite, network, cable, Internet Service Provider (ISP), phones, phone lines or telephone systems, traffic congestion on the Internet, technical or mechanical malfunctions, or other malfunctions or errors, whether caused by equipment, programming, human error or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Offer, including, without limitation, errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Offer, the cancellation or postponement of the Offer, for any injury or damage to any participant's or any other person's computer or other device relating to or resulting from participation in this Offer, or for printing, typographical, human or other errors appearing in these Terms or other Offer-related materials; electronic equipment, computer hardware or software failures; or inaccurate Gift and/or other information, whether caused by equipment, programming, human error, or otherwise. The Released Parties are not responsible for and will not replace any lost, mutilated or stolen Gifts or any Gift that is undeliverable or does not reach the recipient because of an incorrect or changed address. If, for any reason, the Offer (or any part thereof) is not capable of running as planned for reasons which may include, without limitation, infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which may corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Offer, then the Released Parties reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Offer in whole or in part. The Released Parties are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in an recipients email account to receive email messages.
Force Majeure: In the event the Released Parties are prevented from continuing with the Offer by any event beyond its control, including, but not limited to, fire, flood, pandemic, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, communications or equipment failure, utility or service interruptions, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared), interference with the Offer by any party, or any federal, state, or local government law, order, or regulation, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Released Parties' control (each, a "Force Majeure" event or occurrence), the Released Parties shall have the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Offer.
Release: By participating, participants agree to be bound by these Terms and agree that Released Parties and their designees and assigns and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives and agents shall have no liability and agree to waive, release, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, liability, costs (including attorneys' fees), losses, damages, fines or injuries (up to and including bodily injury and death) of any kind arising out of or related to: (i) participation in the Offer; (ii) any acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any Gift (including, without limitation, losses, damages or injuries to consumer's or any other person's equipment or other property, or to their persons; (iii) the Released Parties' violation of rights of publicity or privacy, claims of defamation or portrayal in a false light or based on any claim of infringement of intellectual property; and (iv) any typographical, human or other error in the printing, offering, selection, operation or announcement of any Offer activity and/or Gift.
Disclaimers: The Released Parties are not responsible for the actions of participants in connection with the Offer, including participants' attempts to circumvent the Terms or otherwise interfere with the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Offer. The Released Parties reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any Eligible Business found to be tampering with the participation process or the operation of the Offer, or to be acting in any manner deemed by the Released Parties to be in violation of the Terms, or to be acting in any manner deemed by the Released Parties to be unsportsmanlike or disruptive, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person and void all associated redemptions and/or registrations. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT, YOU OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE OFFER IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE RELEASED PARTIES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify (or terminate the Gift of) any individual who is found to be, or suspected of, acting in violation of these Terms, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike, obscene, immoral or disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Sponsor can void Offer from any Eligible Business believed to exhibit fraudulent behavior or any attempt to corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper administration of this Offer.
Choice of Law: All issues concerning the construction, validity, and interpretation of these Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida (and federal laws, as applicable), without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules that would result in the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of Florida and applicable federal laws.
Arbitration: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Offer, Participant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Offer, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held in New York County, New York; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. In arbitration, there is no judge or jury and review is limited. The arbitrator's decision and award is final and binding, with limited exceptions, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction. The federal or state law that applies to these Terms will also apply during the arbitration. Disputes will be arbitrated only on an individual basis and will not be consolidated with any other proceedings that involve any claims or controversy of another party, including any class actions; provided, however, if for any reason any court or arbitrator holds that this restriction is unconscionable or unenforceable, then the agreement to arbitrate doesn't apply and the dispute must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in New York, New York. The Sponsor agrees to pay the administrative and arbitrator's fees in order to conduct the arbitration (but specifically excluding any travel or other costs of Participant to attend the arbitration hearing). Either party may, notwithstanding this provision, bring qualifying claims in small claims court. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between an arbitration provision contained in any Card terms and conditions, and the terms and conditions of these Terms, these Terms shall prevail, govern and control and the discrepancy will be resolved in Sponsor's sole and absolute discretion.
Limitation of Liability: BY PARTICIPATING, EACH PARTICIPANT AGREES THAT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW: (A) ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CLAIMS AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED WITH THE OFFER, OR ANY GIFT AWARDED, WILL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION; (B) ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND AWARDS WILL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL THIRD-PARTY, OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED (IF ANY) NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY DOLLARS ($50.00), BUT IN NO EVENT WILL ATTORNEYS' FEES BE AWARDED OR RECOVERABLE; (C) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY ENTRANT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN ANY AWARD FOR, AND ENTRANT HEREBY KNOWINGLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO SEEK, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS AND/OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES, OTHER THAN ACTUAL OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY DOLLARS ($50.00), AND/OR ANY RIGHTS TO HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR OTHERWISE INCREASED; AND (D) ENTRANTS' REMEDIES ARE LIMITED TO A CLAIM FOR MONEY DAMAGES (IF ANY) AND ENTRANT IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR EQUITABLE RELIEF. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Miscellaneous: The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. Headings are solely for convenience of reference and will not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of the documents or any provision hereof. In the event that any provision of the Terms is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, the other provisions will remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. The Released Parties' failure to enforce any term of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of that provision. Participants agree to waive any rights to claim ambiguity of these Terms. Headings are solely for convenience of reference and will not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of the documents or any provision hereof. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Offer-related materials, privacy policy or terms of use on any website, social media platform or application and/or the terms and conditions of the Terms, the Terms shall prevail, govern and control and the discrepancy will be resolved in Released Parties' sole and absolute discretion. The Terms may be modified and/or we may cease offering the Offer at any time. YOU AGREE THAT WE MAY NOTIFY YOU OF OTHER TERMS BY POSTING THEM (OR IN ANY OTHER REASONABLE MANNER OF NOTICE WHICH WE ELECT), AND THAT YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE OFFER AFTER SUCH NOTICE CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE NEW TERMS. These are the terms and conditions that are applicable to the Offer, which may be revoked by Sponsor, including the reduction or elimination of Gifts, at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.
Sponsor: Electronic Payments, Inc., 7800 Congress Avenue, Suite 112, Boca Raton, FL 33487.