Maritz Launches LoyaltyNext Gift Portal

Maritz Motivation Solutions, a provider of loyalty programs, has launched the LoyaltyNext Gift Portal, allowing loyalty program members to choose their own custom rewards.

Gift Portal is a marketing tool to help companies attract new members, show customer appreciation, and resolve service failures, according to Barry Kirk, vice president of loyalty solutions for Maritz Motivation Solutions.

Kirk said that many industry loyalty programs are redemption programs that follow a "mercenary" model: consumers have to give something to get something. Gift Portal allows companies to recognize customers in unexpected ways, without a quid pro quo, strengthening and reinforcing the customer relationship, he said.

"As membership in loyalty programs increases, brands are faced with the constant challenge of maintaining consumer appeal with meaningful rewards and memorable experiences. Gift Portal is an engagement tool that bridges the gap between your customer and your brand," Kirk said in a statement.

Gift Portal enables companies to invite specific groups of customers to engage and select which customers will receive special rewards and the gifts they can choose. Maritz notifies customers through a personalized invitation to access a branded, web-based experience to select their gift, and ships it to the customer.

Barclaycard, an issuer of credit cards and co-branded programs, employs the LoyaltyNext Gift Portal to thank customers for their loyalty by offering a curated selection of consumer gift cards.

"The special offers via Gift Portal provide another way to reward our customers for their business and loyalty and allow us to see the impact of a customer appreciation strategy. Customers who receive appreciation offers are more likely to recommend Barclaycard than non-targeted customers," said Maureen Connors, vice president of marketing planning for Barclaycard US, in a statement.

"We believe Gift Portal is a simple but powerful tool to help brands address a number of customer engagement challenges and opportunities. They can surprise and delight customers with unanticipated offers, and they can save the day by reaching customers in cases of breakdowns in service," Kirk said.

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