Belk department store goes live with new product eGifting and digital gift card ecommerce experiences
Portland, Maine – December 19, 2017 – CashStar, a market leader in gift card ecommerce solutions for large merchants announced the launch of a new digital gifting program with Belk, the department store that offers an appealing assortment of products focused on “Modern. Southern. Style.” To power a personalized gift card ecommerce experience for shoppers Belk deployed CashStar Consumer, and to enable shoppers to digitally send physical gifts directly from their ecommerce site the company deployed CashStar Product eGifting.
CashStar Consumer helps brands like Belk provide unique, branded gift card purchase and recipient experiences. Belk’s customers now have the ability to tailor their gift by choosing from a variety of designs and add a personalized message when sending eGift cards.
CashStar Product eGifting extends the personalized gifting experience even further by removing common challenges that some gift givers endure. These challenges range from being short on time, to not knowing the recipient’s size, preferred color and shipping address. CashStar Product eGifting enables Belk shoppers to quickly gift a product from Belk’s ecommerce site without knowing specific details like size and shipping address. The gift is then sent digitally along with a personal message to the recipient by email. Once recipients open the email, they are then presented with options to tailor the gift to their personal style and taste, or select a different product altogether before it is shipped. They may even opt to receive an eGift Card in the value of the initial gift.
CashStar Product eGifting also helps retailers address the problem of costly merchandise returns. According to the National Retail Federation,[1] about 15 percent of holiday sales—approximately $90 billion of gifts—were returned last year. By providing an experience which helps recipients get what they want the first time, Product eGifting reduces the need for merchandise returns.
Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, Belk has kept family and community involvement at the top of its core values for nearly 130 years, which has instilled remarkable loyalty among its customers.
“We’re beyond pleased to expand our relationship with Belk to include consumer digital gifting and Product eGifting,” said David Tate, senior vice president, Blackhawk Network, which acquired CashStar in August 2017. “Gift cards have always been an important part of Belk’s strategy to keep shoppers returning to their stores. Now, by working with CashStar to launch Product eGifting and digital gift cards, Belk is offering customers new, convenient gifting experiences that live up to its customer-centric brand.”
About Belk
Belk, a private department store company based in Charlotte, N.C., is where Southern customers shop for their perfect Sunday dress, the Saturday night outfit, and where family and community matter most. But Belk is more than shopping – it’s where you find your own unique way to express who you are. It’s where Southern style lives. Shop Belk in 16 Southern states and on www.belk.com to find an assortment of national brands and private-label fashion, shoes and accessories for the entire family, along with top-name cosmetics, a wedding registry and Southern style for the home.
About CashStar
CashStar is a leading provider of merchant solutions for gift card ecommerce, supporting multiple touchpoints across the customer lifecycle. Its award-winning platform, CashStar Commerce, is a flexible and market-proven solution that enables merchants to directly market, sell and distribute digital and plastic gift cards across channels and devices. With security, scalability and reliability integral to the platform’s foundation, CashStar clients can focus more on creating great customer experiences, growing gift card revenue and driving omni-channel engagement. CashStar clients include top brands like SEPHORA, Starbucks, The Home Depot, Uber and Walmart. CashStar is a Blackhawk Network Business. To learn more about CashStar’s solutions, please visit www.cashstar.com, follow @CashStar or email info@cashstar.com.
About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a global financial technology company and a leader in connecting brands and people through branded value solutions. Blackhawk platforms and solutions enable the management of stored value products, promotions and rewards programs in retail, ecommerce, financial services and mobile wallets. Blackhawk’s Hawk Commerce division offers technology solutions to businesses and direct to consumers. The Hawk Incentives division offers enterprise, SMB and reseller partners an array of platforms and branded value products to incent and reward consumers, employees and sales channels. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Blackhawk operates in 26 countries. For more information, please visit blackhawknetwork.com, hawkcommerce.com, hawkincentives.com or our product websites giftcards.com, giftcardmall.com, cardpool.com, giftcardlab.com and omnicard.com.
[1] The NRF Return Fraud Survey was conducted by the National Retail Federation during October–November 2015. The sample included senior loss prevention executives at 62 retail companies.
