Category Archives: News

News

How to personalise your customer service & why you need to

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Customers have more choice than ever before about where to spend their hard earned dollars. With so many competing retailers as well as a wide range of ways to purchase, working to personalise your customer service is becoming even more important. Many businesses would say that they already have personalised marketing in place, but do they really?

Research shows that customers have grown more sophisticated than the basic personalisation that many businesses offer. Strategies to personalise communication, like the annual birthday email for example, are not having the traction many would expect.

In a recent survey, only 7% of respondents said they would be likely to engage with a birthday email, and similarly only 8% would engage with a brand if addressed by their first name in marketing campaigns. This shows that the basic strategies being employed by many Australian businesses to personalise their communication are having little affect.

Why is personalising your customer service so important?

Personalising your customer service and shopping experience can result in higher conversions, and a better customer experience. It ensures that in a sea of emails or marketing communications received by your customers, your message is relevant and has cut through. It costs an average of 5 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one coming back, and existing customers spend 67% more than new. So, it’s important to ensure that your customers want to come back and are receiving cross-sell opportunities that are likely to get them to buy.

If you’re still not convinced about the return that personalising your customer process could have for your business, check out these stats from a recent survey:

* Only 22% of shoppers are satisfied with the level of personalisation they receive.

* 31% of customers wish their shopping experience was more personalised than it is now.

* 57% of customers are willing to share personal information in exchange for personalised offers.

* 62% of customers expect customers to send tailored offers to them (not generic ones).

How can you personalise your customer service easily?

While personalising your communication & marketing to each customer takes time and effort, there are some simple, automated ways to help you stand out from the crowd. From ways to gather data to automated email platforms, tailoring your message to each customer is easier than you think.

Step 1: Gathering the data

The first step in creating personalised marketing campaigns tailored to your customers is to focus on how to gather the data required. Specific information about each customer’s shopping habits, product choice and the campaigns they are likely to engage with, will help you ensure you’re getting the biggest return for your efforts, translating into more sales and a better return on your cross-sell activities. Here are some simple ways you can capture this information easily:

Membership cards: Membership cards scanned at each new transaction will provide you with information on when, how and what customers purchase. They can also help your customers feel special to your business.

RFID event passes: RFID enabledevent passes scanned at each booth will allow you to track attendee habits, how they move around the event and what sessions and products they engaged with the most. This information can help you build better future events that result in increased customer interaction.

Online shopping data: Use information stored in your online store to send relevant new products and discounts to past customers. This will likely lead to higher conversions and happier customers.

Your tools to gather data could also benefit from some basic personalisation, such as custom printing each membership card, event pass or loyalty card with your customer’s name and details. This is achieved simply through variable data printing from Redegroup. Our team start with a base template for your cards, creating personalised fields for each new customer. These fields can include everything from text to barcodes, and we can even personalise the image to what the customer likes to purchase from you.

Step 2: Creating your marketing campaigns

Depending on your customers and the goals for your next marketing campaign, this step will look different for each business. However, there are some great easy ways to create and roll out your new personalised communication to your customers.

Automated email platforms: Automated email platforms like MailChimp are great, but you will have to extend your campaigns beyond the standard birthday email or generic monthly newsletter to really leverage the data you have gathered. Use your email campaigns to send custom emails triggered by a specific event or behaviour. For example, send a discount offer to customers off their next purchase from your Winter line shortly after they have made a similar purchase. This will help make sure the customer is coming back to your business for their next purchase, with a cross-sell opportunity that they’re likely to take up.

Automated SMS programs: There are a range of automatic SMS programs that you can sign up to that won’t break the bank. Send out relevant SMS messages to customer segments when the time is right. For example, your art gallery may want to send a reminder about an upcoming contemporary art show to any customer who has engaged with a contemporary art show in the past. The data you have gathered on attendees to previous events will allow you send this personalised invitation to a list of specific customers.

Automated Mailhouse services: If you would like to have your brand in your customer’s letterbox rather then their inbox, or you want to send physical gift cards and offers, our MailHouse service at Redegroup can help. We can personalise plastic gift cards and attach to a wide range of stationery, designed for your business & campaign! This allows you to get back to running and growing your business instead of messing around with databases and printing.

Redegroup can help!

Redegroup believe that your existing customers are vital to the strength and growth of your business in the future. Engaging with existing customers comes from personalising the shopping experience for your customers and members. We can help! From plastic membership cards to combo cards and everything in between, we can help you create a personalised customer program that will keep your customers coming back.

Click here to order a sample pack of our key tags & combo cards or click here to request a quote from our team.

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How to sell more gift cards in your business

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Growing a business is hard. With intense competition online, retail traffic falling & new competitors popping up every day, attracting new customers to your business can be difficult. Gift cards are a great way to get some new business through the door & get your brand out in the market. And with hundreds of thousands of gift cards sold around the Christmas period alone, if you’re not running a successful gift card program you could be missing out on a big piece of the retail pie. 

Why gift cards?

Gift cards are a great way for your loyal customers to share their love for your business with their own friends & family. Whether they’re giving or receiving, your gift cards are finding their way into the hands of people who have never interacted with your business. This makes it a perfect marketing & branding opportunity for your business.

Not to mention that gift cards are easy to stock & sell, and can encourage repeat business, which is crucial when you’re trying to grow sales. The problem is, gift cards don’t sell themselves. Here are a few tips to give your gift card sales a bit of a boost:

Make sure your gift cards look amazing

The biggest point to remember is that your gift cards are going to be given as ‘gifts’. So they need to look amazing and represent your business well. Shoddy or cheap looking designs, low resolution prints & cheap plastic aren’t going to make for a great looking gift and could turn off your customers. And it’s not just the actual card that matters. The card will likely come in a carrier of some kind – a tin, a message card or a small box. Whatever the packaging, your gift card & carrier need to look amazing! The better it looks, the more your customers will be happy to buy and give them away to someone special.

Make sure your gift cards are visible on the counter or at your online checkout

The old saying is true today: out of sight, out of mind. The same can be said of anything in retail. If your gift cards are hidden from your customers as they shop in your store or buy online, it’s likely they will never think to buy one. Make sure that your gift card display is positioned on the front counter so everyone can see them. Ask your employees to remind customers of your gift card offering at the end of each purchase.

Offer online gift card purchasing

It’s essential that people can buy gift cards easily from your business, so make sure to provide a way for them to purchase without having to come into the store. Many of those purchasing cards might be buying for someone who loves your business and so haven’t been to your store before – so make it easy for them! If it’s too hard, they will likely go elsewhere. Most businesses have an online presence now days, and this could be a fantastic way to increase your gift card purchasing.

Ramp up marketing around holiday periods

Mothers Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and other holiday periods are prime times for gift card purchases. Plan for an increase in marketing for your gift cards in the lead up to these holiday periods. You could send an email to your customer database, put up shopfront posters with “treat your mum this Mother’s Day” or post on social media. Think about your business and where your target customers are congregating and advertise your gift cards there.

Get creative & sell an experience

Instead of just selling gift cards for a specific value, why not put together a great package or experience? Putting together a beautiful Mother’s Day experience for mums at your day spa (special relaxation massage & facial for mums) or fashion store (personalised styling session) will add a lovely personalised touch to the gift card. In doing this, you are clearly articulating who the gift card is for and planting the thought in the minds of potential buyers: “mum would love that!” It will also convince those that view gift cards as a little impersonal and provide the opportunity to give a thoughtful gift.

Run a discount with any gift card purchase

If you’d really like to ramp up your gift card sales, think about offering a discount for customers with any gift card purchase. For example, a 15% discount on their next purchase for each gift card bought will give your customers a great incentive to buy and get them thinking about who they could buy it for. While this is a higher upfront cost for you, it could well be worth the return with exposure to brand new customers. Get creative! Figure out what your customers love and build it into your gift card marketing.

Track your gift cards

As with anything in your business, it’s important to track your gift cards & the return they bring back into the business. Review how many gift cards you’re selling, what percentage of those are redeemed and if the gift card holder is spending above the gift card amount when coming back to your business. It’s important that you understand exactly how valuable gift cards are so you know whether or not to prioritise them. While many big businesses like Myer & Village Cinemas have gift cards to thank for a large part of their annual sales, small business can benefit too – by using gift cards as an effective marketing tool.

We can help you promote your gift cards

The team at Redegroup have helped hundreds of businesses with their gift card programmes. We can help you find the right custom design & shape for your plastic gift cards & card carriers, to ensure your business is being represented properly. And we don’t just print the cards and leave you to deal with the coding. We generate the data and choose the right coding to work with your system. Find out more about our gift cards here.

You can also order a free sample pack of our cards or get a quick quote.

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Major changes to Gift Card rules to roll out Australia-wide

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Only months ago NSW and South Australia officially changed the minimum expiry date from 1 year to 3 years on all gift cards sold & used within the states. And now, it looks like the rest of Australia is about to follow suit.

With the legislation approved in Sept 2018 and scheduled to roll out from August 2019, there may be some small changes to come from Liberals MPs who are concerned with how small businesses will fare. According to Fairfax, retailers who break the rule or don’t display the expiry date clearly will face a maximum $30,000 fine.

The change has been a long time coming

Shoppers have been frustrated by the 1 year minimum expiry on gift cards for years with the idea for the 3 year minimum expiry first being tabled in 2012. According to research from  finder.com.au, over $148 million has been wasted on expired gift cards in the last year alone. The Morrison government is now taking steps to ensure that the money your family & friends spend on gift cards for you – is spent.

Consumer groups have rated these minimum expiry terms as one of the top frustrations consumers have with Australian retailers. And with countries like the U.S. imposing a five year minimum term for all gift cards – the change seems to have been a long time coming.

While most retailers currently apply the minimum requirement of 1 year, bigger retailers like Woolworths, Bunnings & JB Hi-Fi have already made changes, removing expiry dates from their gift cards all together. But there are worries the changes might mean big issues for smaller businesses & their cash flow.

Get expert help with your new gift cards

If you would like expert help on putting together the terms and conditions for your new gift cards, talk to the Redegroup today on 1800 815 512. We know the ins and outs of the new changes and are ready to help you!

Get a quote from us 

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Paper vs plastic loyalty cards

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The paper loyalty card, with a hole punch or stamp to indicate a purchase, is still surprisingly popular in the cafe & hospitality world. So, we wanted to outline the reasons we just love a plastic loyalty card – and you should too! Read through our reasons to swap your paper loyalty cards for plastic & get ready to throw out your good ol’ hole punch.

Why are the benefits of plastic loyalty cards?

 

#1. They last longer

One of the best things about plastic loyalty card being used by customers, is that they have a much longer life than their cardboard counterparts. Your customers don’t have to be continually picking up a new card – they can keep the same one forever accumulating points and earning them rewards. And being plastic, they’ll last even longer in your customer’s wallet.

And as the plastic environmental debate rages around us, we feel we have to stick up for the humble plastic loyalty card. Don’t get us wrong – we’re all for eradicating single use plastic products – such as straws and disposable cutlery. Plastic loyalty cards are far from a single use item, and should outweigh the energy it takes to create 10 or more paper cards.

#2. They create less work for your staff

We all know how busy it can get in a cafe at lunchtime or the morning coffee rush. Anything you can do to make the line go quicker is worth it, right? While paper loyalty cards have to be hold punched, stamped or signed (which often results in the staff member looking for the closest pen / stamp), plastic voucher can be scanned, instantly tallying the purchase points for their next reward.

#3. They can give you extra information 

As plastic loyalty card can be kept forever by your customer, it can accumulate a lot of extra information about your customer that you wouldn’t have had with the cardboard or paper version. What coffee do they like? When’s their birthday? What rewards do they prefer? are all examples of information you can store about your customer on their very own plastic scan-able loyalty card. It gives you more ability to tailor the buying experience to the individual customer – making their purchase more enjoyable.

Redegroup can help you swap your cardboard for plastic

Our expert team at Redegroup can help custom design your very own loyalty cards for your business, and set them up in your POS system. Find out more about our loyalty cards here.

And we don’t just print your order and leave you to deal with the coding. We generate the data and choose the right coding to work with your system. We can even provide a live sample for you to test before the printing of your order is complete.

Click here to order a sample pack of our key tags & combo cards or click here to request a quote from our team.

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The resurgence of the key tag: why it’s your best branding opportunity in a digital world

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You might look at the humble plastic key tag and be sceptical of its relevance in the market today. But the key tag has some hidden marketing power. In a world of contactless payments and loyalty card apps, it means fewer people are carrying bags and wallets.

While these advances in technology have seen more people leaving their wallets at home, everyone still needs to carry their keys, giving businesses a powerful branding opportunity.

They have some pretty potent branding power, but they’re not all fluff. They can also provide some valuable insights for businesses into consumer spending habits and help shape your promotions in the future.

Why are key tags becoming so popular?

 

#1. Everyone carries their keys

While wallets are becoming less of a requirement when leaving the house, most people still require their house or car keys. If you can get your customers to put your brand on their keys, you’ll be benefiting from a huge amount of free advertising. On the flip side, there’s not much space available on a key ring so you’ve got to come up with some valuable reason for customers to give that limited space to you.

#2. They’re low cost but high impact

It’s not often that a marketing opportunity comes up that’s as low cost and high impact as the key tag. They’re cheap and flexible enough to be personalised to your business with different shapes and colours. Want a key tag in the shape of a donut for your donut shop? Easy! Key tags can be laser cut into any shape and printed with your own images making them easily personalised to your campaign or business.

#3. They can double as a loyalty card

They don’t have to be all about branding either. Key tags can have a number of other uses for you and your customers. In fact, making them more useful to your customer could guarantee you the space on their key ring. They can be printed with barcodes or security chipped, allowing them to double as entry passes into VIP sections or lockers, or used as a customer loyalty card.

#4. They can give you valuable insights into your customer

Printing them with a unique identifier means that every time they’re scanned, your business is gaining valuable insight about your customer. If you’re using it as a loyalty card, you can get some fantastic insight into the purchase habits of your customers, what they like to buy and which promotions might get them more engaged with your business.

#5. They can help customers engage easily with your business

If you’ve ever been stuck at a register digging through your wallet trying to find the right loyalty card for the store you’re in, you’ll appreciate the ease of having a loyalty card or access pass on your key ring. Are you a retail business? Your customers likely have dozens of loyalty cards in their wallet. Make yours easily accessible and high visible by giving them a key tag instead. Are you a gym or members association? Your members could swipe their key tag for easy access to the members-only section or locker.

Redegroup can help you with your key tags or combo cards

Our expert team at Redegroup can help you custom design your key tags with your brand, personalised barcodes or other unique tracking identifiers to help your customers engage with your business and promote your brand easily. Key tags usually live in pockets and handbags and need to be very hard wearing – there’s nothing worse than trying to scan a key tag when the code has worn off! Our high quality tags also include under-laminate printing at no extra cost, making your key tags last longer.

And we don’t just print your order and leave you to deal with the coding. We generate the data and choose the right coding to work with your system. We can even provide a live sample for you to test before the printing of your order is complete.

Click here to order a sample pack of our key tags & combo cards or click here to request a quote from our team.

Check out our Combo cards

Our combo cards are made up of a plastic loyalty card with the option of 1 or 2 key tags attached, giving you the opportunity to have your brand in the customer’s wallet, on their keys or lanyard. Find out more about our combo cards here.

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Why you should build a customer loyalty program

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Retailers in the current low-growth environment usually reach for ‘cost cutting’ as their time tested strategy when looking for more sales. Lower prices should get more people through the door – right? But cost cutting won’t create the thriving base of loyal customers that you’re really hoping for – the kind that keep coming back.

So, how do you create loyal customers? It starts with a great product and a great experience time and time again. If you’ve got all of that and still aren’t seeing the brand loyal customers you know you should, it’s time to focus on building them through a customer loyalty program. You need those valuable customers coming back to your business regularly.

While many retailers recognise the value of a customer loyalty program, not many are doing much to build them. And those who have loyalty programs in place are finding that they’re tired and worn out – and aren’t providing the value they should be. So, does the customer loyalty program still have a place in the modern retail market?

Try these benefits on for size:

 

#1. You can use the data

This is an often overlooked benefit of retail customer loyalty programs. Not only can you collect shopping habits and data about specific customers, but you can use the overall information to help you make stock and buying decisions. You can get valuable insight into purchase times, sizes, product types and much more. For example, when do your customers react most to a sale? What kind of sales do they love? If they receive a gift card for your store, do they spend more than the gift cards value? Using real data can help you shape your business and marketing to appeal even more to your target market.

#2. Repeat customers are cheaper and more valuable

Everyone seems to know this, but it warrants another mention. Repeat customers are cheaper than new ones and much more valuable. In fact, attracting a new customer costs five times as much as keeping an existing one (Lee Resources 2010). Not only that, the probability of selling to an existing customer is sitting between 60 and 70%, while the probability of selling to a new one is between 5 and 20% (Marketing Metrics).

If you provide them with a great experience and get them coming back you’ve created someone who will spend more money with your business and could perhaps be an advocate to their friends and family. How do you get them coming back though? That’s where the customer loyalty program comes in. Giving them incentives that speak to your particular customer base will get them thinking of you first when they need whatever it is you sell.

#3. Cost cutting won’t cut it

Likely, your range of products are not the first of their kind. And that means there are always going to be competitors in your market. Many of us would reach first to cost cutting and sales events to bring more people through the door, but this isn’t going to cut it forever. There is nothing more powerful than a loyal customer advocate, and a thriving database of loyal customers will be the ticket to growing your business.

Building your customer loyalty program

 

Now that we’ve established some of the reasons why a customer loyalty program might be what your business needs to grow, let’s have a look at some ways to build an effective program:

What do your customers want?

This is the first question you need to ask yourself when building a customer loyalty program – what do my customers want? Once you know what they want you’ll be able to give them a loyalty program that they’ll put effort in for. Do your customers come to you for coffee & breakfast and would love a free coffee? Or do your customers want free delivery for their online shopping purchases? Figuring out what they want will keep your customers coming back to your business rather than going somewhere else.

How will you offer it?

There are so many different loyalty programs out there – because there are lots of different customers out there. The customer loyalty program you build should be tailored to your customers. You could offer dollars for future purchases, collecting points for free gifts, exclusive offers just to members or event invitations.

With just over 5 million members, Myer One is known to be one of the best loyalty programs in Australia and it’s not hard to see why. Members earn Shopping Credits on purchases at Myer, with these credits converting into a Reward Card on a quarterly basis. For every $1,000 spent at Myer, Members receive a $20 Reward Card. The more you spend, the more benefits available to you. Top tiered members get faster delivery of online purchases, a gift card on their birthday and invitations to exclusive shopping events.

There’s no way the customers who are realising the benefits of the Myer One program are going to David Jones when they’re shopping.

How will you use the database?

Once you’ve got some customers on your loyalty program it’s important to use the data to further drive brand loyalty and tailor your business around your best customers. Find valuable answers from the data you’ve collected like: who your customers are, what do they like to buy and how they like to be communicated with? 

These are all important insights when making buying decisions or shaping marketing campaigns.

We’ve got you covered for customer loyalty

 

Redegroup are one of the biggest loyalty card manufacturers in Australia, and have a range of customised loyalty card printing to help create brand loyalty with your customers. We can even help you test your loyalty cards with your existing POS system to make sure it all works well.

Find out more about Redegroup’s gift card printing

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5 surprising uses for RFID technology

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Technological advances are nothing new. But when applied correctly, new technology can help our businesses run more cheaply and effectively. While RFID technology is nothing new, we are discovering more and more commercial uses for it to improve both efficiency and customer experience.

What is RFID?

RFID or Radio Frequency Identification technology uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track any object or person it is attached to. This means that you can track anything from individual stock items, to your customers as they journey through your store.

Here are 5 surprising uses for RFID technology:

1. Tracking stock

Retailers have started investing millions in the efficiencies RFID technology can buy, particularly in the area of stock management. The technology allows retailers to track their stock through the supply chain from manufacture & store delivery through to storage and purchase.

And while the benefits might sound purely one sided, the technology is also helping to improve customer experience. RFID tags on each item stocked in-store allows faster restocking of shelves and location of specific products – giving the customer access to the product they want, and making it easier for them to purchase.

Check out lifestyle giant Lululemon’s introduction of RFID into their stock process, and how it has not only saved staff time but all improved their instore customer experience.

2. Member access

Gone (should be) the days of the barcoded membership card for your VIP customers and members. RFID cards or wristbands give customers easy access into a members section at your gym, airport lounge or VIP room.

RFID products also allow businesses to store customer information and even track the facilities that members use more frequently, as well as the length of their stay. This can help business to personalise each individual customer experiences and create future experiences.

3. Customer loyalty

In the same way, RFID technology can be used instead of plastic loyalty cards – allowing the customer to swipe each time they purchase. Not only will it store loyalty points, but it can also be used to store information about the customer like their favourite coffee, birthday or the last time they purchased from you. This allows businesses to reward customer individually and tailor the customer experience.

4. Improving the dressing room experience

If you haven’t yet had a smart fitting room experience, you probably will soon. Some bigger retailers are starting to introduce RFID technology in their fitting rooms using product RFID tags together with smart mirrors to help customers find the perfect fit and increase sales.

The fitting room smart mirrors automatically identify RFID tags on individual items of clothing, and allow shoppers a 360 degree view of what they’re trying on. Customers can change the colour or pattern of the fabric to other options in the range and even try on virtual accessories. If they’re still on the fence or would like to see other sizes, smart mirrors allow them to order another size automatically by requesting it with a staff member on the floor – all without leaving the fitting room. 

Source: https://www.lsnglobal.com/micro-trends/article/16876/smart-fitting-rooms

5. No swipe ticketing

If you’ve ever been to a busy amusement park, no doubt you would have had the unfortunate experience of lining up for popular rides. RFID technology is now being used to ease line and ticketing issues. A plastic card equipped with RFID tag allows visitors to make their way throughout the park without having to show tickets, reducing wait times and staff levels.

Redegroup can help you with RFID products

Redegroup have a range of flexible RFID products including smartcards and wristband which can be tailored to your business. Our team are ready to help you create your own personalised RFID solution for your business. Find out more about our RFID products here.

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The danger of focusing solely on customer acquisition

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More than 40% of companies admit to being more focused on customer acquisition than they are on retention.

And really, to many business owners this makes sense. You should be trying to grow your business…right? Of course, growing your business with new customers through customer acquisition would naturally sit in the top 3 priorities of any business. But those companies whose main goal is to build their business through finding new customers might be missing the profits that can be had from re-engaging existing customers.

How valuable are existing customers?

One of the most astounding stats show that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% – 85% (Bain & Co). While that seems incredible, stats also show that re-engaging and retaining past customers is less work and more value than trying to find new ones, who then need to be educated about your products, your brand and your purchasing system. In fact, attracting a new customer costs five times as much as keeping an existing one (Lee Resources 2010). Not only that, the probability of selling to an existing customer is sitting between 60 and 70%, while the probability of selling to a new one is between 5 and 20% (Marketing Metrics).

How can we re-engage our existing customers?

Keeping a customer for life is a huge part of ensuring that business grow and are successful. As we can see from the stats above, acquiring a customer is alot of work and expense, one that you don’t want to have to repeat just to cover the customer who went to a competitor because they don’t feel connected or engaged with your business.

There are some simple ways that you can engage your customers and get them buying from you again:

Post purchase emails: Make the first purchase from your business a special one. If a customer has just made their first purchase, why not welcome them to the club with a welcome email and some suggestions for other products they might like.

Reminder emails: If a customer hasn’t purchased in a while, send them a reminder email about who you are and why you love doing business with them. Send them some suggestions for products for the upcoming holiday season (Christmas present ideas or Valentine’s Day products) to help get them engaged with your business.

Rewards for your most valuable customers: Reward your most valuable customers with an incentive for next time they shop with you, one that is valid only for a small number of your most valued customers. One of the most effective strategies I have seen is sending a customer a gift voucher to spend instore two weeks after a particularly big purchase. It gives them a great surprise, as well as a reason to come back.

Refer a friend rewards: Retaining customers is not just about keeping a valuable customers purchasing from your business. It’s about creating brand advocates. Reward your customers and create a ‘refer a friend’ rewards program. You’ll find people won’t refer people just for the gift, but if they love your business, they will be actively thinking about who they can refer you to.

Event discount emails: Is your 5th business birthday coming up? Send out a small discount to all your customers to celebrate, and thank them for their support. For those customers who haven’t thought about your service / product for a while, it might be just what they need to purchase again.

Regular newsletters: Don’t forget the power of the simple newsletter to stay top of mind with your customers. A valuable news article about changes in the industry, a new product launch or spotlight of your existing products will prompt those customers who require your product to order.

Points or loyalty system: The points system works really well for a lot of businesses and encourage frequent and repeat purchases. Cafes, retailers, beauty therapists and more can use points based systems to keep customers coming back, via key tags or loyalty cards.

VIP events: VIP events can be a great way for people to refer friends to your business. If you’re a bricks and mortar shopfront, have an exclusive shopping event, or a launch of a new product. And for those of you exclusively online – don’t think that events are valid just for retailers with a street presence. Email out an exclusive online discount code to be used at a specific time on your website and treat it like your own online launch party!

Create a customer journey process

One of the best ways to figure out how you want to engage your customers regularly and effectively with your business is to create your ideal Customer Journey Process. Sit down with your team and brainstorm; what’s the perfect journey for a customer to make through your business? How often would they want to hear from you? What are the best times throughout the year to communicate? Write it down, make a plan and revisit often. It should be flexible and fine tuned on feedback from your customers and your team.

Let us help you

Redegroup are experts at creating products to help your customers coming back to your business, and feel like a VIP. Our gift cards help them to share their love for your business with their family and friends. And our loyalty cards are custom branded and can carry a range of different information about your customer, from key tag to wallet cards.

We don’t just print the order and leave you to deal with the coding, we help you choose the right coding to fit with your system. Redegroup  even provide a live sample from your order for you to check with your system, to give you peace of mind that it works correctly.

Contact us today, or order your free sample pack.

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NSW gift card changes to expiry dates & fees

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The NSW Government has recently introduced a mandatory minimum expiry period of 3 years for gift cards and gift vouchers sold to a consumer in NSW.

More than $2.5 billion of gift cards and gift vouchers or approximately 34 million cards, are sold in Australia every year. Of these gift cards, approximately 8% are never validated to their full balance due to the card expiring before the recipient has the opportunity to redeem the full value of the gift.

Having been inundated with complaints over the last few years, NSW Fair Trading has made the changes to “put the consumer first” in the gift card market, extending the expiry period from 1 year to 3 years for all gift cards sold in NSW. The NSW gift card changes also include a ban on post-purchase administration fees, starting 31 March 2018. The NSW government insists that the new reform will give consumers access to the full value of their gift card over a reasonable period of 3 years, while also maintaining a workable business model for traders.

To keep you informed, we’ve put together some answers to FAQs on the new changes:

When do the NSW gift card changes start?

The reforms started on 31 March 2018. The reforms do not apply to gift cards and vouchers purchased by consumers before 31 March 2018. The terms and conditions in place at the date of purchase of those cards will continue to apply.

Does this apply to gift vouchers as well as gift cards?

Yes. Changes apply to both gift cards and gift vouchers.  The period begins from the issues date, or the date a gift card is sold to a consumer. Businesses can choose to apply an expiry period longer than 3 years and no maximum expiry period applies.

Ban on post-purchase fees

Once the gift card or voucher has been issued, there is also ban on charging any post-purchase fee associated with redeeming the card/voucher that would reduce its value. Terms used for post-purchase fees that will be banned include: activation fees, account keeping fees, balance enquiry fees, telephone enquiry fees and fees applied when a card is inactive or not being used (sometimes called dormancy or inactivity fees).

However, there is an exception to the ban on post-purchase fees, which include any fees that are part of the cost of processing payment, which apply regardless of the method of payment. This might include overseas transaction fees, booking fees or payment surcharge fees and are not are not captured by the ban.

How do I know if the NSW gift card changes apply to me?

If you are unsure whether the new laws apply to a particular gift card or voucher, answering the following questions will help:

1) Has there been a sale of a gift card? If the answer is yes, the card or voucher is covered by the new laws unless specifically excluded. Cards that have not been sold, such as donated cards or unsolicited discount vouchers handed out on the street, and are not covered by the new laws.

2) Has there been a sale of a gift card to a consumer in NSW that can be used for goods or services in NSW? If the sale is to a consumer as per the following definition, the card is covered by the new laws unless specifically excluded.

Get expert help with your new gift cards

If you would like expert help on putting together the terms and conditions for your new gift cards, talk to the Redegroup today on 1800 815 512. We know the ins and outs of the new changes and are ready to help you!

Order your free sample pack of our plastic card products and get a quote for your next order. 

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The perks of POS Managed Gift Cards

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Offering recipients ease & choice, gift cards are quickly becoming a go-to solution for shoppers right across the globe. This places added pressure on businesses to provide simple & easy gift cards for purchase. Here are few perks of POS Managed Gift Cards and why it may be the best solution for your business.

It’s all about customer experience

The number one priority of any business is to offer the best experience to their customers. With POS managed gift cards, you’re able to take shopping to a new level, offering your shoppers exciting ways to pick up their favourite products.

With simple features that allow you to activate, process and check the balance on cards, you’ll be able to focus on the more important things such as building rapport with every shopper.

Keep it simple

POS managed gift cards are also a great option for you staff as it streamlines the process required to reconcile transactions. A POS solution allows you to simplify your business operations and ensure your transaction records are accurate. With all the information in front of you, you’ll be able track outstanding balances and sales, ultimately identifying how successful your gift card advertising really is.

With a deeper insight into your business operations, you’ll be able to make those all important decisions for your business.

Free advertising and increased loyalty

The more gift cards purchased, the more opportunity your business has to gain customers. They’re usually purchase by customers to give to their friends & family to share their love for your product / service. It gives customers a reason to enter your store & a reason to come back.

Increase your revenue

With gift cards that are easy to issue, activate and manage, your staff will be more likely to sell them successfully. What’s more, typically a shopper will spend more than the value offered on the gift card during their visit. This leads to more revenue for your business.

We’re here to help you with your POS managed gift cards

The best thing is that Redegroup can help you find the right coding on your gift cards. Find out more about our gift cards, or get a request a quote from us.