MINNEAPOLIS, August 22, 2018 – Today the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) announced its upcoming RGCA Forum will feature a keynote session entitled “The State of the Closed-Loop Industry,” during which exclusive research will be unveiled and analyzed by First Data Senior Vice President, Gift Solutions, Dom Morea. The data insights are part of First Data’s annual “Prepaid Consumer Insights Study,” and will be co-presented by The Cheesecake Factory® Associate Director for Gift Cards and Incentives, Kathleen Henderson.
The session will focus on key findings from the “Prepaid Consumer Insights Study,” including the latest on consumer preferences for gift card use including gifting, self-purchasing, rewarding loyalty, and incentivizing different audiences. It will also provide recommendations for capitalizing on future growth opportunities in light of today’s consumer demands and technological capabilities.
“Gift cards have become popular stored value payment tools, and so much more than just gift ideas in recent years. The coupling of consumers’ omnichannel demands with new technology has driven true innovation in the closed-loop industry, as we’ve seen the uses and applications of gift cards expand significantly,” said Dom Morea, First Data Senior Vice President, Gift Solutions. “Our research will provide Forum attendees with new insights to inform their gift card program strategy—particularly useful ahead of the holiday season.”
Forum is an annual event for RGCA members and non-members alike; it is the first and only conference dedicated solely to the issues and trends impacting today’s closed loop gift card industry. This year’s Forum will be taking place October 1 through 3 in Nashville.
“We created Forum to facilitate a collaborative atmosphere that enables growth, supports the health of the closed-loop gift card industry as a whole, and creates positive gift card experiences for end users,” said Marina Hodges, RGCA Board Chair. “Sharing our collective knowledge and pooling our resources in this way contributes to a thriving closed-loop industry, and First Data’s new research will be a rich source of the latest insights to inform stakeholders on what consumers really want from gift cards.”
RGCA members and non-members with a vested interest in the closed-loop gift card industry are encouraged to attend Forum. With a focus on the issues and trends impacting today’s gift card industry, RGCA Forum is a content-rich, interactive event that includes in-depth discussions about the evolution, trends and hot topics surrounding gift cards as forms of branded currency and stored value solutions.
To register for RGCA Forum or learn more about the event’s agenda and speakers, click here.
More than 90 RGCA member brands work collaboratively to protect, promote and enhance the use of retail gift cards as forms of branded currency and stored value solutions that enable, enrich and encourage commerce in today’s digital age. Members collectively fuel consumer confidence in the industry, evolve best practices for gift card programs and optimize emerging opportunities to meet contextual commerce demand.
More information on the RGCA, including details on becoming a member, is available at www.thergca.org.
About the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA)
The Retail Gift Card Association is the nonprofit trade association that represents the closed-loop gift category. The Association’s mission is to protect, promote and enhance the use of retail gift cards as forms of branded currency and stored value solutions that enable, enrich, and encourage commerce in today’s digital age. All RGCA members abide by a Code of Principles that supports consumer-friendly policies for the purchase and redemption of closed-loop gift cards. RGCA’s membership is comprised of retailers from all sectors, including restaurants, general merchandise, apparel, sporting and leisure, and non-retailers. For more information, visit us at www.theRGCA.org.