Who Wants Free Money?

Who Wants FREE Money?

Benefits of Using Gift Cards at your Retail Store

Nationwide 18% of all Gift Cards and Gift Certificates are never redeemed. 100% profit on 18% of the Gift Cards you sell… that's not bad.

While I am not an attorney, I understand in most states this money becomes yours to keep. Some states say it belongs to the state as unclaimed property. Please check with your attorney for the law on how this should be handled in your state.

According to the National Retail Federation, gift cards were
purchased by almost 70 percent of US consumers in the 2004 holiday season, at a total value of over USD 17 billion

Gift certificates are often an overlooked part of any service-oriented business. Gift cards are more than electronic gift certificates; they are powerful marketing tools that produce verifiable results for your retail store.

Gift cards are an innovative way for your retail store to increase gift sales, improve customer loyalty and combat the problem of gift certificate fraud.

Unlike paper gift certificates, gift cards are extremely difficult to counterfeit and they can be merchandised at the point of sale because they have no value until activated. Cards can be purchased along with other items at your retail store and there is no need to write out a certificate manually.

Gift cards are great for merchandise returns. If a customer returns an item and does not know what they want to exchange it for, you can give them a gift card for the value of the return. This gets them back in your retail store and you do not need to give them a cash refund.

Gift cards are popular with consumers because they are easy to purchase and use. The cards are a convenient, fun alternative to traditional paper certificates.

TMS has been a distributor of internally tracked gift cards,
where the retail store keeps track of their value, for quite some time.

We are Proud to Announce that we are Now Able to Offer
You Externally Tracked Gift Cards!
(These cards run through a credit card terminal)

There are many benefits to using these Externally Tracked gift cards:

Improved Profitability
Gift cards outperform paper certificates-they sell better and eliminate the need to refund cash on the unused balance of the gift. Many retail stores currently using paper gift certificates give cash refunds for the unredeemed value. This can add up to a large percentage of your retail store's gift sales. Gift cards eliminate this problem because the unspent value stays on the card.

Reduced Costs
Transaction automation and the elimination of paper processes result in substantial savings for your retail store. There is No Transaction Fee, monthly fee, or other fee other than the cards themselves. Gift card transactions are processed electronically, which provides better tracking and greatly reduces the operational overhead that is currently associated with paper certificates.

Better Tracking and Analysis
Our system allows you to track transaction activity at levels ranging from individual terminals to the entire corporation.

Multiple Uses for the Cards
Our stored-value card system gives you the ability to let your gift cards double as your retail store's merchandise return cards. You can also use stored-value cards for benefit plans, employee incentives or meal plans.

Increased Brand Awareness
A gift card acts as a small billboard for your retail store in your customer's billfold. Gift cards are also an effective medium for special promotions.

Further points of interest include:

• A gift card (sometimes known as a "stored-value" card) is similar to a debit card in form and function. Many people think of it as a pre-paid debit card. A gift card retains the value placed on it by the consumer at the time the card is purchased. Unlike a paper gift certificate, a gift card may be used for one or more purchases at your retail store. It is not necessary to refund the unspent value on the gift card. The value stays on the card until the cardholder uses it.

• Your gift cards can have your retail store's name and logo on them. It's like having a small billboard for your company in your customer's billfold. You can create your own graphic design for your cards or you can place your company logo on one of the graphic designs that we have for you to choose from.

• Theft isn't a problem if they are displayed at the point of sale at your retail store as the cards cannot be used until they have been activated by one of your customer service representatives. If someone tries to use a card that has not been activated, the transaction will be declined.

• We provide you with a variety of audit friendly reports that allow you to track card balances and all transaction activity on the cards. We will soon have Web-based reporting systems and fax-on-demand systems in place that will provide you with real-time access to all of your transaction data.

• Employee theft at your retail store is usually not a problem because gift cards provide a more complete audit trail than paper gift certificates.

• Processing gift card transactions is easier and faster than processing paper gift certificates. With 10 minutes or less of training, your retail store's employees will be processing gift card transactions faster and more efficiently than they ever could have with paper certificates.

• Below is a list of credit card terminals that we support. We also provide two options that will run on a PC: WebTerminal and PC Charge from Go Software.
  
  A. VeriFone Tranz Terminals - Models 330, 380, 380 X 2, and 460
  B. VeriFone Omni 3750
  C. Hypercom Terminals - Models T7, T7P, and Ice 5500
  D. Thales Talento
  E. Thales Artema Portable
  F. Sable (restaurant POS system)
  G. PC America (retail & restaurant POS system)
  H. Positouch (3rd quarter '05)
  I. Micros 3700 (2nd quarter '05)

~As a fraud prevention measure, our card numbers are produced using an algorithm that is very similar to the "Card Verification Value" used by Visa, MasterCard and American Express. We normally use 15-digit card numbers. The first 12 digits of the card number is sequential, this is followed by a random 3-digit "Card Verification Value" that is used to combat fraud.

~Consumers of your retail store can order cards, reload cards and check balances via the Internet. You will need shopping cart functionality on your retail store's web site. We provide your web developers with all of the information that they will need to be able to allow cardholders to buy, redeem or check the balance on a gift cards.

~Our program is not tied to a particular credit card processor.

~We provide support from 7am to 10pm Mountain time, 7 days a week.

~We provide training for your retail store's employees. We believe that the individualized service that we can provide to each location sets us apart from the competition. All training is provided by telephone.

Call your American Retail Supply Sales Representative today

to order Gift Cards for your Retail Store.

You can call us at 1-800-426-5708

or email info@americanretailsupply.com with questions.