CardNow at the Convergence of Surprise and Delight and Better Reporting

The CardNow smart-phone activated gift card service now featuring over 75 brands is experiencing the impact of the significant growth of surprise-and-delight gifting and increased demand for better reporting, according to its founder, Matt Frye. 

 

Among the major new businesses coming out of the pandemic is surprise and delight gifting: the concept of a spontaneous, carefully selected gift to express thanks or gratitude in a meaningful way. The businesses of companies like Omaha Steaks, 1800-FLOWERS, Links Unlimited, and many others reported brisk sales last year simply because organizations large and small sought ways to thank the many employees and customers now working at home or under difficult circumstances. 

 

Says Matt Frye, company founder and CEO, “We are seeing more customers attracted to the concept of being able to easily select the right brand of gift card in the right amount for the right person, and in a way that makes it easy for the company to manage the expenses. With so many people giving out spontaneous gifts these days, running them through expense accounts is not only inefficient but makes it more difficult for organizations to track the gifting.” 

 

CardNow sells inactive gift cards in various size boxes with cards selected from leading retail brands that can be activated at any desired time using a smart phone app. CardNow is designed to enable people to spontaneously gift someone with the right retail brand without having to have a stock of activated cards purchased at retail. Using CardNow, companies can track usage by everyone in the organization. 

 

Alex Barseghian, CEO of Decimal Capital, an investor in the payments industry, says he “recommends CardNow to hospitals and other organizations that can benefit from in-person gifting by showing appreciation, in the moment, in person. “It’s nice to have this little package on your desk to give people. I am a big fan of what CardNow is doing. I have one of its kits on my desk. It’s a very elegant solution to give out a physical thank you with a reward in the moment, which is still exceptionally powerful. An organization can give out boxes to different managers with a set budget, or just have a box on the floor for spontaneous gifting, so it’s easy to track.  It’s great for peer-to-peer gifting as well, or for team prizes.” 

 

Even in the digital age, Barseghian still believes in the value of a physical card, delivered “face to face, eye to eye. You can say to someone, ‘here, I’d like you to go out for a nice dinner and hand him or her the card.’ That’s awesome.” 

 

Adds Tom Short, Chief Customer Officer for Kudos.com, a leading international recognition technology and solution company, “I really like the convenience factor of having a box of gift cards in my drawer that I can use at any time, for any reason. It’s a very attention-getting gift. If you know the retailer someone might like, you can select a card just for them. If you don’t know, you can activate an Amazon card. Either way, that physical card has a greater impact.” 

 

Says Frye, “Research from the Incentive Research Foundation and common sense supports the fact that it’s the selection of a gift and the way it is presented that makes the strongest impression. If you e-mail someone an e-code, you might as well just give them cash. The entire premise of gifting is to distinguish it from cash to make a more personal expression of gratitude.”

 

For More Information 

Matthew Frye

Chief Executive Officer

Matt.Frye@CardNow.com

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