PaymentsJournal
SUBSCRIBE
  • Analysts Coverage
  • Truth In Data
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Industry Opinions
  • News
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
PaymentsJournal
  • Analysts Coverage
  • Truth In Data
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Industry Opinions
  • News
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
PaymentsJournal
No Result
View All Result

A Prescription for Merchants To Avoid Escheatment (Tough Luck NJ! )

Tim Sloane by Tim Sloane
March 16, 2011
in Uncategorized
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

New Jersey estimates it will collect $79.58million in the fiscal year ending June 30th (based on its newescheatment law), but not if merchants wise up. After all, thisisn’t New Jersey’s money, it belongs to the consumer. Merchantsindicate that they are concerned about the cost associated withcollecting Zip Code information, but Mercator Advisory Groupsuggests that they should instead implement an all out effort tocollect as much detailed information about the cardholder aspossible – here’s why.

Mercator Advisory Group has been advising merchants to focus onsales, not breakage, for two years now and New Jersey simply makesthis recommendation more relevant. Gift cards are most valuable toa merchant when redeemed for high margin products. Typical upliftcan be between 40% to 50% and more – although this does varydepending on the average ticket, gift card value, and type ofmerchandise. Still, uplift is significant even withoutmerchandising. However that lift can be made even more valuable bysteering your cardholders to high margin items – which happen to bethe same items they desire since lift is generated by thecardholder’s desire to splurge with the “found money.”

So, a poorly operated gift card program has high breakage and islikely facing the issue of escheatment with trepidation. A properlymanaged gift card program will look at escheatment as a lostopportunity. In fact, management should measure gift card programsnot just for gift card sales volume, but also for the percent ofgift card units redeemed in full, the lift generated by gift cardpurchases, and the success of drive cardholders to purchasetargeted merchandise or store categories.

So don’t just get a Zip Code, get the email address or better yetthe full snail mail address. Send reminders to cardholders thatthey have a balance. Invite cardholders to participate in specialevents. Send special offers to cardholders that provide uniqueopportunities to spend the balance that they have. Offer thecardholder a discount coupon for twice the value of the gift cardfor a high ticket item. Just make sure that the cardholder receivesthe full value of the gift card so that when the states ask forescheatment all they get is a great big goose egg because the goldhas already been used as tender.

Tags: DebitMercator InsightsMerchant AcquiringMobile PaymentsPrepaidSelf Service and ConvenienceSocial Media
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

    Analyst Coverage, Payments Data, and News Delivered Daily

    Sign up for the PaymentsJournal Newsletter to get exclusive insight and data from Mercator Advisory Group analysts and industry professionals.

    Must Reads

    Everyone Benefits from the Real-Time Payment Networks  

    Everyone Benefits from the Real-Time Payment Networks  

    March 22, 2023
    commercial payments

    Optimizing Commercial Payments in the Digital Age

    March 21, 2023
    cross-border payments

    Cross-Border Payments: Fighting
    E-Commerce Fraud Using Data

    March 20, 2023
    fraud, ChatGPT-4

    How to Fight Fraud While Still Enabling a Great Online Customer Experience

    March 17, 2023
    RTP

    Financial Institutions Without an RTP Strategy Risk Being Left Behind

    March 16, 2023
    visa chargeback

    New Visa Chargeback Guidelines Will Be a Game Changer

    March 15, 2023
    liquidity management

    Liquidity Management Takes on Increasing Importance in Uncertain Economic Times

    March 14, 2023
    payments

    Key Challenges from Growing Payment Methods and Volume

    March 13, 2023

    Linkedin-in Twitter

    Advertise With Us | About Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Subscribe
    ©2023 PaymentsJournal.com

    • Analysts Coverage
    • Truth In Data
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    Menu
    • Analysts Coverage
    • Truth In Data
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Industry Opinions
    • Recent News
    • Resources
    Menu
    • Industry Opinions
    • Recent News
    • Resources
    • Analysts Coverage
    • Truth In Data
    • Podcasts
    • Industry Opinions
    • Faster Payments
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Events
    No Result
    View All Result

      Register to download the Autorek complimentary report: Payments Industry Outlook 2023: