The Gift Card Network has a monthly merchant call in which our merchant subscribers can connect and share best practices, ask questions among each other, and connect on their challenges. In our last two meetings, we’ve been reviewing the impact of COVID-19 and the closures of businesses in order to stop the spread of the disease within the US. Merchants within this group are major national and international retailers, restaurateurs, hospitality, and online service providers that offer gift cards in the public marketplace. Thank you to our merchant committee leaders--Benita Johnson (Petsmart), Len Sadek (Landry’s), Jason Miller (Zulily), and Peter Friend (Global Hotel Card). We have a rotating average of 10–15 company representatives on our calls. We want to extend our committee’s leaders and participant’s condolences for those companies and employees affected by the recent furloughs, layoffs, and bankruptcies. Our thoughts are with you, and please reach out if you need any support. We’re here for you! Here are the main subjects and take-aways from those meetings, specifically, regarding to how gift card businesses are being affected by social distancing policies.
As our society continues to react to these changing conditions, gift cards—as a gift, as a donation, as a way to connect with other people—have become even more popular. The benefit of not having to guess where people are and what they need at any given moment in this time of uncertainty is very important.
This article is in our Spring 2020 CR80 publication. Click below to read the full magazine!
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AuthorMatt Davies, GCN Founder and Powerhouse Brands CEO Archives
October 2020
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