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Gift card companies you should know about
Selecting a gift card management company to help you run your incentive and loyalty gift card program is an important process. Depending on the goals and outcomes you have in mind, you may value different features and product capabilities. Like any software evaluation, it's worth it to do your due diligence and research what's out there.
No matter what solution you end up choosing for your gift card initiatives, you should expect your provider to check off some basic requirements. Here are some of the top features and benefits to look for in a gift card company:
Ease of use
If you’re going to have multiple users sending eGift card options to customers and employees, the process has to be simple. Having an easy-to-use platform ensures everyone will feel comfortable delivering gift cards whenever they need. Unlike a traditional gift card program, where senders need to deal with physical gift cards, the magic of a digital gift card company is being able to send out something meaningful without too much stress or added labor. All details of the transaction are handled in the background — no more searching Salesforce for the address, or putting the gift card purchase on your corporate credit card to be expensed later.
Robust infrastructure and design
When it comes to an eGift card management platform, intuitive design plays a big part in user experience and the above-mentioned ease of use. Look for a platform that is well-designed, with a layout that makes it easy to do your most common tasks and sufficient guidance for using the more advanced features. And most importantly, for gift card distribution at scale, you want a software with a reliable back-end infrastructure that you can trust.
Multi-user capabilities
Once you sign up for a gift card management platform, it’s likely that many members of your staff will be sending eGift card campaigns to recipients. Your marketing department, social media team, employee relations team, sales, and lead generation teams can all make use of giving as a means to improve outcomes and increase engagement. For this reason, your chosen solution should make it easy for multiple people to complete the eGift card purchase process and deliver the perfect gift to their most important contacts. The platform should help teams conform to budget constraints, and offer approval workflow and payment as an automatic part of the process.
Advanced reporting options
One of the most valuable features that comes with a digital gift card management platform can be found in its suite of reporting capabilities. Reporting not only allows you to take the temperature of your campaigns, it also gives you a glimpse into their long-term success, providing you with valuable data for crafting your future programs. Find a platform with straightforward reporting features built right in, that ensure you can parse and manipulate data in order to surface potential issues and opportunities.
Ample partnership options
You want to be sure there are plenty of options to surprise and delight every recipient in the locations you serve. For that reason, look for a company that offers a wide range of international partnerships. Look for a company with global reach, with a healthy selection of brand partners - in the US and abroad - guaranteed to meet the needs of your prospects and consumers. Many platforms will offer the “heavy hitter” store cards such as Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, and Target. Look for opportunities to deliver that same quality with locally recognized names and brands.
Want to learn more about our gift card software? Schedule a demo of Runa today.
Customer service
Running into problems when using your gift card management software? It helps to be able to hop on a Zoom call and talk through the issues with a real live person.
Even with the best platform, features, and program options, there are times your customers just need to talk to someone to get to the bottom of things. One of the most important features in your platform, therefore, can’t be found on the dashboard, but rather on Zoom or email. Great customer service — both for your users and your recipients — is the unsung hero of a highly successful gift card program. When vetting platforms, remember to consider the support options that come with your chosen solution.
Gift card companies leading the way
- Runa - Shameless plug! The Runa platform makes it easy for companies to send gift cards at scale. Our gift card API enables companies to connect to any system and distribute gift cards automatically, saving time and money.
- Blackhawk Network - Founded in 2001, now a public company, has acquired many other gift card companies.
- Rybbon - Known for having direct integrations with marketing automation systems like HubSpot. Recently acquired by Blackhawk Network in 2021.
What makes Runa stand out?
When all of the above elements come together, you can be sure that your eGift card program and campaigns will be both productive and worthwhile. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that your end-users are delighted with their gift card or visa prepaid card and well taken care of. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the internal support and productivity for your teams.
Our focus at Runa is to create the best possible mix of features and usability. We focus on delivering amazing reward experiences, with customization and flexibility that make recipients feel like they're actually glad they received a gift card. Those experiences increase your engagement, loyalty, and employee retention.
We also offer global reach that allows our customers to successfully do business in virtually any corner of the world. Whether you are delivering services to the US or entertaining a global audience, you'll find brand choices that resonate with your recipients. We achieve this through the 700+ partnerships offered through the Runa platform. With a few touches of a keyboard, you can create experiences at home or abroad with ease.
Finally, our customer service capabilities make it easy for businesses of any size to get up and running with a gifting program, and administer their programs without lots of coding, haphazard integrations, or frustration. And our robust gift card API allows your development team to assist in delivering exactly the type of experience your recipients expect.
Looking to partner with a gift card provider?
If you’re ready to purchase and distribute gift cards at scale, we’re here to help support you.
Click here to setup a Runa demo - we'd be happy to show you how our gift card management platform can save you time and money.
