Gift Cards: your tool to fight the retail financial crisis

Gift Cards: your tool to fight the retail financial crisis

Gift Cards: your tool to fight the retail financial crisis

We have been hearing many news about how COVID-19 has changed the financial background in Europe, the unluckiest ones have even experienced it on their skin. In the business framework surely the most affected sectors have been travel, hospitality, restaurants and traditional retails.

The companies that have financially survived are now trying to find new sources of income, often by either diversifying their sales offer with news products, services or by testing new marketing strategies.

The first choice is rather an expensive path that comes with the desperate need of quickly acquiring new competences to integrate and manage a new business unit. On the other hand, the second option is surely safer, cheaper, and often more effective.

In the giant pool of marketing, between waves of creativity and slaps of reality, there is a reliable sales and marketing tool: Gift Cards.

Gift Cards have been discovered more and more in the last years, not only by private users but also by companies. In fact, gift cards are an easy-to-use branded payment method, that can be carried either in the pocket or on the phone, ensuring nevertheless great KPIs.

You might ask yourself: “Ok, should I build up a Gift Card program for my company, either investing my internal IT resources or by purchasing a ready software by one of the leading companies on the market?”

Surely, Gift Cards do bring you new natural sales when being sold in store and on the e-commerce to private users. However, to really exploit the marketing potential of gift cards you should invest in self-promotion!

Let me give you more details.

When you decide to integrate Gift Cards promotions into your customer journey to achieve specific marketing objectives, the results are guaranteed.

Let’s say you want to make your customers more loyal and ensure that they come back in the short term. Offering a discounted Gift Card with a limited validity, not only will provide you with straight-away cash, without having the costs yet of the sold product/service, but it will also ensure that the customers owning Gift Cards will come back to your store before their gift cards’ expiration date.

Another opportunity to get similar actions is implementing new customer acquisition targets, by activating a member-get-member campaign or a welcome gift, when reaching a certain basket value.

Moreover, great results can be reached with reactivation campaigns.

Did you know that Gift Cards have a +25% of reactivation rate, compared to the traditional discount vouchers? Thanks to Gift Cards a classical reactivation DEM to your client’s database can be a great success.

And this is just a bite of the huge possibilities of Gift Cards as marketing and sales tool!

Article by Francesca Raimo, International Merchant Service Director at Amilon

 

Gift Cards for employees: cost or investment?

Gift Cards for employees: cost or investment?

Gift cards for employees: cost for the company or investment in its competitiveness on the market?

 

The quick answer is: both. Technically and in terms of accounting, gift cards are a cost to an enterprise, while from a modern and wise human resources perspective, gift cards are an investment in the future of our company.

Gift cards are one of many direct instruments of modern incentive policy for companies, taking care of employee well-being, employee motivation and attitude to the workplace, while indirectly affecting the competitiveness of companies on the labor market and their image as an employer.

This criterion has become equally important with others, because of the so-called employee market development – once employment was associated with employee submission to the company and unequal relations, while nowadays in healthy and mature organizations there should be a balance in mutual relationship: the company employs an employee because it values his competences, skills and personality, while the employee decides to choose a given company because, apart from competitive remuneration, it also values the employer’s reputation, work environment, atmosphere and people. An important element complementing the whole are non-wage benefits offered to employees, such as gift cards for well-known brands.

Gift cards are usually bought by enterprises as comprehensive packages, so-called cafeteria systems – remuneration systems that allow employees to choose from a range of benefits offered within a certain financial limit. An example of a cafeteria offer: tickets to the gym, swimming pool, fitness, prepaid cards, tickets for sporting and cultural events or just gift cards and vouchers for stores of known chains and brands.

In order to motivate companies to use this solution and its popularization and to facilitate financial settlements, the fiscal system of many countries, including Poland, has provided tax and social security (ZUS) incentives related to the use of this solution. Specific categories and type of gift cards aimed at employee development can be even exempted from taxation. In Poland, this limit amounts to PLN 1000 per employee per year and is regulated by the company social benefits system (ZFŚŚ).

There are many employee benefit agencies on the market (B2B channel) which, apart from an attractive substantive offer (interesting brands in portfolio) also offer comprehensive support in the settlement of gift card costs – they know which cards fall within the scope of benefits covered by the social benefits fund, how to qualify them as costs and bill them.

Amilon also offers a wide range of gift cards in its portfolio – around 200 partner brands around the world – which are used to reward and motivate employees. Gift cards are available in various denominations and conditions of use. We help in choosing them for your company and employees. We remain at your disposal for the contact and consultancy.

 

Article written by Karol Ziółkowski, Business Development Manager Poland @  Amilon Warsaw

Shopping in the time of Covid: who won and who will win?

Shopping in the time of Covid: who won and who will win?

Shopping in the time of Covid:

who won and who will win?

In just three months, in many ways, we have jumped ahead ten years: I think there has been a disruptive change in the way we shop. Not being able to go out, we all found ourselves shopping from home and even buying anything online. It was a primary need, not a luxury. It was a necessity to try it out.

Many people did this for the first time, discovering a new and fascinating world. But who profited from it? All for the benefit of online shopping leaders like Amazon? I don’t think so. I think instead that the Pandemic has created some problems for Amazon, if not in the short term, then in a few months. Because it awoke the traditional Retail, the sleeping giant, who was waiting to invest heavily in online shopping.

Given the problems that Amazon had during the lock down, with deliveries for some products moved to a month when we were used to having our orders at home in a few hours, we were forced to look elsewhere. We visited and discovered much more specialized sites, where we realized that the offering can be more comprehensive and you can pay a few euros more for a new shopping experience and surprisingly good service.

Companies that didn’t engage in the e-commerce business seriously, had to equip themselves. Traditional retail realized that without a 24-hour online channel, and with closed stores, they were in danger of extinction. As the emergency partially subsided, once you could return to stores, both retailer and customer realized that the shopping experience had changed dramatically. You have to queue outside the store, you can’t be slow because there are people outside waiting, the dressing rooms have to be sanitized after each step, often with distrust and prudence on the part of the customer.

Then maybe it’s better to buy online and discover that there’s not only Amazon in the wonderful world of online shopping. Many have overcome the laziness of opening a new account, re-entering credit cards, trusting a new player: Amazon is too convenient, from desire to purchase in less than 5 minutes. And in just a few hours, the product is delivered. Now that we’ve broken the ice, we’ve all discovered that there are many other stores on the net … and many have great products and amazing service.

For those who still do not trust buying online, there are also alternative ways: Yamamay, for example, invites customers to call, buying with the help of a personal shopper, ordering and receiving everything at home, without going to the store. If what you ordered doesn’t fit, you can return it.

Large-scale retail started some time ago with click & collect, but the pandemic has also given an incredible boost to this formula. You shop online and pick it up from the store, a McDrive of shopping, with the advantage of finding everything ready and not being forced to walk between one mask and another through the shelves.

The Pandemic has provided great opportunities for large food delivery companies such as Glovo and Deliveroo, who have worked in the cities like never before, delivering anything at home. The demand was extremely high and they equipped themselves accordingly: home deliveries of food from restaurants, stationary, packages and clothes deliveries… with a bike courier that you can follow on your smartphone. They started with food but now they deliver anything to support the stores. All this will create intense competition for Amazon, because people will come to appreciate the specialized offer of local stores and this will offer them a huge chance to take revenge.

Amazon has shown the world the way, the Pandemic has forced everyone, even my greengrocer, to follow its example and it may be that something has changed …

 

Article written by Andrea Verri, CEO & Founder of Amilon

 

 

Gift cards: the opportunity for Retailers to increase sales and brand awareness

Gift cards: The opportunity for retailers to increase sales and brand awareness

Gift cards: The opportunity for retailers to

increase sales and brand awareness

Gift cards and vouchers are valuable marketing tools. Customers can be specifically stimulated to buy with you. There are also many other advantages for traders. We will tell you why you should offer gift cards.

 

Advantages for Retailers in using Gift Cards

Gift cards and vouchers can be used flexibly and address all types of target groups worldwide: young or old, male or female. They are a popular gift and thus contribute to this since they are more personal than cash, but still give the recipient the freedom to choose. In addition, you contribute to the visibility of the brand as a recommendation tool, as loyal regular customers in particular continue to give away gift cards.

Acquiring new customers, strengthening customer loyalty and increasing sales

Gift cards and vouchers are the most cost-effective way to attract new customers and increase customer visits to the branches. Owners of a gift card often advertise e.g. other family members and friends.

In addition, customers typically spend more than just the amount of the gift card. Studies show that 69% of gift card holders spend more than the value of the gift card. This effect is known as the “uplift” and represents pure profit for the trader.

Customers who have high-quality gift cards do not spend the full amount of the card on a visit, but instead visit the retailer repeatedly. This strengthens customer loyalty and brand loyalty.

Positive cash flow

Revenue is generated before the customer redeems the gift card. A small percentage of customers let expire the gift card and do not redeem it. This generates pure profit for the brand.

Advantages of digital gift cards compared to physical cards

Digital vouchers and gift cards have the advantage that they can be used completely flexibly. In contrast to physical vouchers, the digital or electronic version in the form of an e-code eliminates the complete logistics of a physical warehouse and the dispatch of the cards. Digital gift cards are available around the clock in real time. An electronic code can be easily accessed via e.g. Email, SMS or similar to be dispatched. The electronic vouchers can be designed individually and sent to end users in a targeted manner. With the digital vouchers you save time, administrative effort, costs and enable a far more extensive use than you would ever achieve with physical cards.

The switch to digital gift cards enables an omnichannel solution that vouchers can be redeemed both at the POS and in the brand’s e-commerce.

Switch to digital gift cards now and use the full potential of gift cards.
Contact us!

 

Article by Katharina Meyer, Business Developement Manager DACH, for Amilon

Being a CEO in the time of Covid-19

Being a CEO in the time of Covid-19 

Being a CEO in the time of Covid-19 

I have spent, like many of us, almost 3 months at home. I’m the CEO of Amilon, we sell gift cards to companies and we have a totally digital business … shouldn’t be a problem, but we are over 60 people and suddenly we found ourselves without an office. We have to get organized, will we handle it? Will our guys manage to work from home? Will I be able to do it? All day at home, without the morning coffee at the bar with Fabio, without the gatherings in the meeting rooms, without the moments of sharing, without the incursions in my office for any kind of request.

I’ve equipped myself: now I have a new colleague, my wife Anna, and in our home/office it’s not so bad after all… I’m lucky enough to have a balcony that has given me, even when you couldn’t go out, the chance to get some air every now and then, the coffee break with Anna outdoors, thanks to the excellent weather and the incredible and magical silence that enveloped Milan in March/April.

Still, like everyone else, I had to reorganize my life. And I understood many things, for example I realized that in three months we did what we would have done in 10 years, and I’m not too sure it will even have been enough. Covid-19 has given us an incredible leap forward, and at the very least, it has forced me to do it.

One can work from home even better than one can work from an office. The virus has opened a chasm in the beliefs I’d built up in almost 30 years of working. I started my professional career by punching the clock at 8.30 a.m. in that wonderful company known as Perfetti Van Melle, I went on to Beiersdorf where my boss often asked me if I was taking a vacation when I left the office before 7 p.m. I made these teachings my own, thinking that “that’s how you work” even if with the necessary flexibility. In the last 3 months I have changed my mind: for example, I always thought that to get something from a colleague, the way to do it was to physically “visit” him at his desk, offer him a coffee at the machine, ask him about his family, his passions and then talk about work and get to my goal. Today I think the same way, but the same thing can be done with a virtual visit.

Yesterday I called Alessandro on Teams, Ale is a precious colleague who has been working with us for many years. He showed me in video chat his garden and his vegetable patch, before talking about work. He was happy because he now avoids the 2 hours of heavy train travel every day and during those 2 hours he is less stressed and works more intensively. It can really be done.

I have appreciated the meetings on Teams, more concrete and often faster, the ease with which we exchange information and still make decisions: people interact almost more than at their desks, which all in all forces us to remain at our place for hours. Years ago I worked for Heineken, in an office building that expanded vertically and to go to see a colleague on the fifth floor, if you were on the first floor, you needed a good quarter of an hour, as just one elevator served the whole office. So nobody moved. A nightmare, everyone on the phone from their desk for 8-10 hours a day with colleagues who were 10 meters away, vertically. You never actually saw each other, however we still had to punch a time card and there was no Zoom.

Yes, of course, there are also those who hide behind Zoom and maybe instead of doing more, do a little less… but they would do the same in the office.

Not everything is perfect of course, for example, I miss the chatter, the discussions, I miss sensing through the walls the mood in the company, perceiving immediately if something is wrong. The “Company Mood” meter on Zoom and Teams is not there yet, but they will find a way to introduce it. I have discovered that in the most advanced video chat software there is a “subtitle” function that is fantastic for meetings in English, as I never understand the Irish… they have an impossible English. Long live technology, always!

Working from home is still a revolution and we have to adapt and get used to it quickly: many have felt the need for larger spaces, a quiet home working environment, a high-performance connection and modern and up-to-date work tools. This will bring important opportunities for real estate professionals, architects, hardware and software manufacturers.

Many have had to manage their young children at home from school, to care for, feed and entertain them. So, maybe the ones who were really dreaming of the office were these parents. If we go back to a normal world where children go to school in the morning, then they too would enjoy Smart Working. Otherwise, solutions are needed, in this context I’ve seen very few ideas nor politicians who understand the problem of helping especially mothers, who are the most penalized.

Now, having made these reflections, I don’t know what will happen in September. I don’t know if we will be back as before with 60 people occupying a wonderful new open space office of 900 square meters. Will we still need all that space? Will we have to renovate again to adapt to the new rules? Is it really necessary for a colleague who lives in Arona to take the train every morning? Or that Martina who is from Romagna is spending 70% of her salary to pay for a house in Milan, just to be able to have a job? We will understand it further on, but in my head many things have changed and frankly I think that removing in one hit all the flexibility for people who work would be impossible. I also think it is neither useful nor productive.

Have a good summer, everyone.

 

A letter from Andrea Verri, CEO of Amilon

Are gift cards for employees Tax-Free?

Are gift cards for employees tax-free?

Are gift cards for employees Tax-Free?

An investment to succeed

Employees wellness has become in the recent years a top priority for companies on both a country-specific and global level.

HR departments are investing a lot in talent acquisition, development, and retention: humans are no more resources, they are now investments to succeed.

New wordings have quickly spread inside HR offices: employee recognition, employee benefits, bonus for employees …

These are all replies to the same fundamental question: how can companies show their employees how much they care of them?

A highly appreciated way to do that is lying in corporate gift cards for employees. Companies allocate yearly budgets, that employees can spend as they wish among all the available options included in the employee recognition gift card program. This form of recognition as become really popular because of its broad appreciation from employees. In fact, they have the total freedom of choice in selecting their preferred gift cards, according to their own preferences, tastes, interest, and needs.

Clearly, gift cards bring many advantages to employees who are really satisfied with their reward. But what about companies? What are the advantages for companies?

Tax treatment of gift cards in Europe

This is the big question companies always ask: “are gift cards for employees tax-deductible?”

As it frequently happens, answers are different depending on the European country considered.

But let’s get deeper:

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in Germany

Germany allows a discreet range of deduction on gift cards for employees. According to the Income Tax Act, non-cash benefits to employees up to 44 euros per month remain tax-free, as well as gifts up to 60 euros that are exempt from social security contributions.

In addition to the monthly amount of 44 euros, non-cash benefits of up to 60 euros remain tax-free if they are given to employees in the occasion of personal events. Where, “personal event” stands for birthdays, employees’ children births’ anniversary, etc. The bouquet of flowers as a welcome greeting after a prolonged illness also falls under this category.

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in France

France admits tax deduction on gift card as corporate bonus, provided they do not exceed the yearly amount of € 171 per employee in 2020 (5% of the monthly Social Security ceiling).

Moreover, as we have seen for Germany, personal events play an important role in France too. In fact, employers can increase the non-taxable amount of non-cash bonuses given to their employees on personal occasions to celebrate. Marriage, retirement, birthday, beginning of the school year, Christmas, etc. are all events when French companies can reward their employees and sales force with gift cards and vouchers that are relevant for the celebrated occasion.

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in the United Kingdom

Compared to the other countries in Europe, the United Kingdom allows a stricter tax-deduction policy on gift cards given to employees. In fact, only up to 50£ gift cards are tax-free for companies in UK, whereas exceeding amounts are completely taxed.

Another common rule on corporate gifts in UK, is that non-taxable gifts need to be categorized as “trivial benefits”, namely they need to be non-performance-based and there cannot be a contractual obligation to get and enjoy the gift.

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in Austria

Austria has a broader policy about gifts and expense accounts that includes both corporate events for employees and individual corporate benefits.

Benefits from attending company events reach €365 per year (company excursions, cultural events, company festivities, etc.) and gifts and rewards received in such contexts amount to a maximum of € 186 per year. Austrian broader non-taxable treatment of gifts includes Christmas presents, gift vouchers or gold coins that are exempt from tax incomes.

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in Poland

Poland yearly allocates a yearly budget in order to support companies in the corporate benefit distribution. Every year, the Company’s Social Fund, provides for a maximum of 1000 PLN per employee that is tax-free and that companies can spend in incentive and reward programs.

For now, in Poland vouchers and gift cards are left out from this tax-free policy that rules incomes on incentives and rewards, although there is great attention to this argument that may change in the very next future.

  • Taxation of Gift Cards in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland

Companies in Spain, Portugal and Switzerland often choose gift cards and vouchers as corporate benefit and gifts, because of their extreme flexibility and appreciation by employees. However, there are no specific regulations yet on gift cards and gift vouchers.

Choose Your Gift Card Partner

To conclude, clearly there is a real convenience in choosing gift vouchers and gift cards for companies that are looking for successful ways of incentivizing their sales force. If you are a company in Europe looking for a partner, Amilon is the best option for you to make your employee benefit gift card program a reality. In no time you will get your employees satisfaction and recognition with our global assortment of more than 200 digital gift cards enjoying the tax-free policy that is enforced almost all over Europe.

 

Article written by Giuseppe Di Rienzo, International Sales Manager at Amilon

Gift Cards – A new type of Currency issued by the Brands and its Benefits

Gift Cards - a new type of currency issued by the brands and its benefits

Gift Cards: a new type of Currency issued by

the Brands and its Benefits

 

How would the oldest ancient merchants or the first European professional bankers in Venice and England react, if they found out that the concept of money they knew – minted gold or silver coins, and only in the seventeenth century issued banknotes – evolves several centuries later not only into electronic form, but it will even expand to brand-related forms and concepts.

 

Electronic representation of money is nothing new and appeared with the invention of computers, initially being only a direct equivalent of the value of physical money in digital form. As a result of the digital revolution, concepts of new virtual currencies, like Bitcoin, have emerged. This currency is not very widely accepted, but the curiosity on the Polish market is that payments in bitcoins are accepted for example by the national Polish air carrier – LOT Polish Airlines.

The latest stage in the formation of another form of electronic currency is the example of the currency issued by known brands and networks, which can be fully justified and explained as branded currency, and which is represented in the form of gift cards, vouchers and vouchers for a relative network.

The very concept of declaring a monetary equivalent in the form of a voucher that allows for shopping with a relative value in stores of a given brand is not entirely new. On the other hand, the growing popularization of this form of gratification or payment among brands, its evolution into the rank of international networks of globally accepted cards and the necessity of its issuing by brands in view of the risk of marketing and digital exclusion of a given brand, more and more justify treating digital gift cards as a type of new currency that connects inside the features of money (quantitative features) and brand marketing features (qualitative and intangible features). That is why we can use the term branded currency with justification and sense.

Gift cards and vouchers as the branded currency are not only a nice form of customer benefit and a form of gifting, but above all they represent a group of financial benefits and marketing instruments for the brands themselves. Thus, they create an additional form of the sector, which is of support and leverage for existing business and brand marketing activities.

The first of the benefits is the anticipation of pure cash and positive cash flow for the brand before real sales are made. One does not complain about excess cash in normal times, whereas in turn of the economic crisis we are currently facing as a result of the global SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic and Covid 19 disease, for the brands that were forced to significantly reduce or completely stop sales and their income dropped to zero, if they had a digital gift voucher system in their portfolio, it allowed those brands to maintain any liquidity in exchange for deferred sales.

In addition, it is estimated that statistically from a few to several percent of purchased vouchers, depending on the sector and product, are never used as a result of forgetfulness, loss or expiration, which is then pure revenue for brands,constituting a non-redemption rate.

Another benefit is the increased value of the shopping basket when using gift cards by an average of 20% in excess of the nominal value of the voucher. As the brand manager of one of the leading perfumery chains tells us, in their case the increased value of the basket reaches up to 100%, which means that with certain denominations of vouchers the psychological willingness of the client to add to his purchase from his own pocket (when he received the voucher as a gift) is additionally the value of the voucher itself. For the brand, this is a pure benefit that would not occur when buying a traditional one without the benefit of an alternative means of payment, in addition to the gift. A psychological mechanism of not feeling the negative weight of money that was donated to us operates here in favor of brands.

Finally, it is not without significance that gift vouchers, on average 25% more than other marketing tools such as discounts or consumer promotions, help maintain customer loyalty and reactivate customers who for various reasons have lost ongoing contact with the brand. As the above examples show, a modern system of gift vouchers is an extremely effective marketing tool for brands ensuring an increase in sales and revenues and long-term loyal and satisfied customers who will be the best source of honest and coherent marketing advertising for the brand.

 

Karol Ziółkowski / Amilon Warsaw

Idea Shopping: the multi-brand and multi-country gift card for giving gifts and incentivising employees across Europe

Idea Shopping is the first multibrand and multi-country gift card that can be spent all over Europe

Idea Shopping: the multi-brand and multi-country gift card

for giving gifts and incentivising employees across Europe

 

 

Gift cards, gift vouchers, digital shopping vouchers… we are hearing more and more about them during this time, also with reference to the current emergency situation. In most European countries and throughout the world, there has been a significant increase in the use of these tools for giving gifts, giving incentives to employees and distributing help to the population at a time when shops and e-commerce are closed.

The shipment of parcels and physical orders must be checked and secured, and delivery times have lengthened considerably. Digital gift cards are bought and sent online, downloaded immediately onto a smartphone, and can be used either straight away or when the shops reopen, as they are valid for several months.

This is why Amilon, which has always been committed to the progress and innovation of digital rewards and branded currency or branded money strategies for the Retail industry, has created a true upgrade of its Idea Shopping gift card. Digital vouchers are the most valued option for individuals and companies, in order to give gifts, benefits and incentives to employees. Vouchers are a type of digital currency that can be used to make payments internationally, in the simplest and most flexible way.

Indeed, as of today, Idea Shopping can be spent not only in Italy, but also in the main Eurozone countries: France, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.

Idea Shopping is a gift card, but it is more special than other gift cards that are available, as it is a real digital currency:

 

  • Multi-brand, so whoever receives it can choose freely from a catalogue of merchants with over 20 product categories, from supermarkets, beauty care, clothing and sports, to furniture, travel, leisure and electronics.
  • Multi-country: it can be spent on the main brands and merchants in Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Germany
  • Multi-language: browsing on the Idea Shopping platform can be customised by selecting the Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or German language option.
  • Zero commissions and additional costs: there are no shipping, logistics or management costs for companies. It is the easiest and most popular incentive there is, because it is sent online to the employee and can be downloaded immediately to pay directly from your smartphone, in store or online
  • Flexible, as it can be spent both online and in-store

 

Simplicity, flexibility and convenience make Idea Shopping the most popular and well-liked incentive according to companies of all sizes, who want to offer their employees a benefit in the form of a reward for the work completed, and recognition for the results achieved.

The multilingual and multi-country features will be mainly valued by companies that have headquarters, offices and employees distributed across different European countries and therefore, with a single incentive or benefit, can reward their entire workforce in a very convenient and fast way.

Not only that, the new features also respond to the increasing globalisation of citizens and employees in each country, who are used to travelling freely throughout Europe and therefore making purchases in different countries.

In this way, with just one gift card, you can give a personal or company gift that is valid in all European countries, and travel for business trips and leisure holidays, while able to make flexible and immediate payments with a digital voucher that is always available in your smartphone.

Purchase Idea Shopping now for you and your company.

Discover Idea Shopping.

Spread gift cards, spread the smile. Gift cards: the unique answer to companies needs

Spread gift cards, spread the smile

Spread gift cards, spread the smile
Gift cards: the unique answer to companies needs.

 

When I started my experience as International Sales Manager for Amilon I thought – like many others, I bet – that what I was going to sell internationally was an innovative way of making gifts for people, on a personal level. Personally I have often received gift certificates for my birthday and I really liked the gift. Through the gift card people can offer their friends and family the opportunity to enjoy cooking classes, a haircut at their favorite barbershop, a relaxing day at a SPA …

However, with time, I learnt that gift cards can be a lot more than that. They are much more than incredible personal gifts. In fact, they are revolutionary business gifts for companies that are looking for new and more practical ways to incentivize and reward employees, partners, and customers.

I got this particular intuition, while talking and negotiating with customers, companies and brands all over the world. All of a sudden, it was clear to me that people from Europe, India, USA and Latin America have a unique and common need: finding an easy and successful way to incentivize employees, or to reward customers for their proven loyalty.

And this simple and successful rewards are digital gift cards.

Gift cards are the perfect reward for every occasion, because they meet every individual taste and preference, allowing people to express themselves by getting what they most need or desire with their corporate benefits or customer loyalty rewards.

This incredible flexibility is why gift cards are so loved across the world: companies from every country appreciate gift cards as benefits, because everyone loves free choice on how to spend her own benefits.

What do I mostly love about working for Amilon? To expand a universal network based on the same need, that is translated into single local habits and cultures, by providing each country with the relevant gift card offer of both local and international brands.

Amilon definitely does it! getting the widest catalogue offer possible, always including local brands. This is also why Monexia expanded their sales team, including local people from all over the world, guaranteeing to customers a global presence that now spans from Italy to Mexico, from Spain to Poland…

Our catalogue of digital gift cards is constantly growing, and this growth is led by what our customers are looking for.

Our catalogue of digital gift cards is constantly growing, and this growth is led by what our customers are looking for. Would you like to incentivize your employees with a grocery brand gift card in Switzerland? Coop is now available for you. Are you looking for a tech incentive for France? Fnac-Darty gift card is ready for download in our catalogue. Fashion gift card for Spain? Visit Monexia and get El Corte Inglés gift cards for your employees now. Supermarket gift cards for Germany? Take them to REWE with Monexia digital gift card.

Do you want to leave the choice to your customers regarding how they prefer to spend their reward in Spanish retailers? Just order Idea Shopping gift card for Spain…

By doing this, I am sure that you will gain a new ability: putting a smile on your customers faces. Because, if gift cards can be wonderful personal gifts, they would be even better corporate rewards.

– Article by Giuseppe Di Rienzo, International Sales Manager

Employee benefits market in Poland

Employee Benefits in Poland Amilon Gift Cards

 Employee benefits market in Poland

Last year, the value of employers’ investments in non-wage benefits in Poland, which help to attract and retain employees, increased to PLN 12 bln, almost by 1 bln year to year. On average, nine out of ten employees in Poland receive non-wage benefits from employers. The growing competition for job candidates means that the number of companies that invest in benefits, as well as the average value of benefits for one employee, is growing.

What types of benefits?

Non-wage benefits are an important element influencing the employee’s decision to take up a job in a given company, as well as a factor building loyalty and motivation for everyday work as well as a positive attitude towards the employer. In Poland, companies most often finance a basic healthcare package, a sport card entitling to unlimited gym entries or cafeteria platforms offering vouchers as well as gift and discount cards for stationary and online stores of well-known global and local brands.

Average benefit value

The development of the benefits market is influenced by the growing average value of expenses per employee, which reached almost PLN 2K (EUR 440) last year. The average was increased by investments of large companies, which account for almost two-thirds of the domestic benefits market. The value of the entire investment portfolio in this area in Poland reached PLN 12 billion in 2019.

Benefits addressers

Employers offer benefits to more and more employees groups’ – not only specialists and managers, but also physical workers. Benefits, including medical care, group insurance, sports card or vouchers to the cinema or shops (cafeteria programs) are so common that for some candidates they are an obvious element of remuneration. Willing to impress candidates, employers are increasingly reaching for less-typical benefits, such as vouchers for legal advisory or personal development.

In the current situation on the labor market, benefits are a justified business investment that helps attract and retain employees. Expenditure on non-wage benefits is growing, among others because their scope is expanding – employers are already investing not only in medical care and gym vouchers, but they are constantly offering new extras such as vouchers and gift cards, thus providing employees with the freedom to choose and match the offer with their lifestyle, habits and tastes.

The increase of the benefits budget is also generated by enlarging the scope of its recipients. Non-wage benefits appear in industries and professional groups in which they were not popular until recently – e.g. in supermarkets chains – and are reaching out to ever lower positions. In the coming years, the benefits market will continue to grow and companies will individualize their offer to better adapt it to the needs of employees.

Amilon in Poland

Amilon has a long-term strategy of not only becoming part of the above trends, but to start complementing or even defining them in the areas where we feel to have a competitive advantage. Such sphere is our offer and its digitalization, thus accelerating the entire process of generating and delivering vouchers, but also the role of a reliable business expert and technology provider for partners in the area of ​​discount cards and vouchers.

Amilon has already started cooperation with the first partners on the Polish market. Currently, the portfolio offered locally includes vouchers and cards of brands such as Amazon, Zalando, Global Hotel Card, MediaMarkt, Empik, Mango, IKEA (here we have exclusive rights in Poland), and we are already finalizing talks with H&M, Decathlon and Flixbus and delicious.pl. We will develop our portfolio in accordance with the market demand for brands sought by our clients.

– Article by Karol Ziółkowski, Business Development Manager Poland, for Amilon Warsaw