Resolve to maximize your RGCA membership this year! If you're new to RGCA or would like a refresher on your member benefits, join us on Monday at 2pm CT/3pm ET. This informal session includes information on accessing member-only resources on the website, committee opportunities, a chance to meet some volunteer leaders and staff, and time for your questions.

Matt Kerper is Chief Strategy Officer at Wolfe.

How long have you been in the gift card industry? This is my 22nd year in the gift card space.

What’s one fun non-gift card related fact about you?  I have been a volunteer Firefighter for the last 10+ years in Texas and Colorado. I am currently with the Franktown Fire Protection District in Colorado.

What is something you think our members should know about gift cards? Gift cards remain the most underutilized consumer marketing opportunity in my opinion. It is incumbent upon us all as industry ambassadors to help our brand partners better understand how they can leverage both physical and digital gift cards to engender loyalty, enhance the shopping journey and surprise and delight their customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in consumer and corporate gift card purchase behavior. These changes have made the ability to forecast spending on gift cards a challenge.

Therefore, RGCA commissioned a consumer research study aimed at understanding how consumer behavior related to gift card purchasing has changed during the COVID pandemic, estimate the extent to which gift card purchasing within the next 6 months will differ compared to prior years, and determine sentiment and acceptance of e-gift cards versus physical plastic cards.

The results have been posted to the members-only section of our website.

Our legislative committee is monitoring proposed legislation that could impact the gift card industry. The January update has been posted to our website and includes information on proposed legislation in New York and Indiana.

Join us next Thursday, January 14 at 10:30am CT/11:30am ET for our next coffee break. We'll discuss strategies for getting gift cards into stores and ensuring they are set up correctly and in the right places.

RGCA

mflanagan@thergca.org