RK Incentives Offers Employee Incentives That Work

There's nothing quite like a gift card to put a smile on an employee's face, especially if the incentive can be used at their favorite retailer. Ranked as the most frequently used type of corporate reward by the Incentive Federation, gift cards have transformed the corporate market for rewards and recognition for small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, and everyone in between.

For HR executives, the cards provide convenience, ease of use and administration, a range of options and innovative co-branding and trophy value capabilities, the latter of which hold an important place within rewards and recognition programs, whose very purpose is to promote behaviors without use of compensation. The utility of non-cash rewards is enhanced by the perceived value and visibility of the awards and the buzz created when people receive them.

A high-end, high-performance outdoor gas grill, for example, serves as a positive reminder to the participant of his or her performance (and firm) every time it is fired up, as will the memories evoked by a motivational travel program. Cash, on the other hand, quickly gets mixed in recipients’ minds as compensation and usually disappears into the family budget with no direct communication benefits to the giver.

By using stored value cards as part of an ongoing program, where points—or cash value—are added as successive goals are met, gift cards can become a permanent fixture in an employee’s wallet, acting as an effective reminder to program participants
Every time the wallet is pulled out and the card used. Friends and family often see award winners use the card and may see them use it often, thus invoking trophy value in the incentive.

Leading Brands
Carrying leading brand names like Macy's, Pier 1 Imports®, Regis Salons, Dave and Buster's, Barnes & Noble and Best Western International, gift cards can be purchased in bulk, and at a discount, only from RK Incentives, whose president Rich Killian also serves as Executive Vice President of the Incentive Gift Card Council (IGCC). Founded to provide an awareness of gift cards/certificates as a viable option for use in premium and incentive plans, the IGCC's members are the elite among retail, catalog and performance improvement agencies, and offer cards/certificates that can be redeemed for merchandise and services.

Offered by major retailers, banks, catalog merchants, department stores, and specialty stores of almost every type imaginable, gift cards can help HR executives empower their organizations through target awards based on demographics and themes based on communications objectives. They're aligning incentive or premium programs with leading industry brands through gift cards, and significantly increasing the participation in the programs offered.

Here are a few key benefits of using gift cards as corporate incentives:

• Time Savings: The fulfillment of the gift incentive awards requires minimal administration. It's as simple as contacting your suppliers and ordering them. RK Incentives can ship cards within two to three business days.
• Selection: Recipients have a choice of more than 100,000 items in a typical gift card program. Clients can provide recipients with cards/certificates redeemable at a specific retailer or via catalog. Programs that allow redemption through a number of catalogs or retailers may also be developed.
• Cost Savings: The cost of most cards is only the printed face value. Many companies offer discounts on volume orders. Shipment of the cards, replacement of lost or stolen cards and simple customization are usually included in the purchase price. More complicated services, such as program administration or additional creative services, are usually available at an extra charge.
• Flexibility: Gift card suppliers realize that clients who select cards as an award option seek turnkey programs. Overnight delivery, insertion of client correspondence with the cards, special in-store promotions for the program participants and program redemption statistics are examples of some of the services clients request. Gift cards make sense for most any incentive or premium plan.

Gift cards also include unique customization and packaging opportunities that allow HR departments to leverage major brand names in their marketing programs to maximize perceived value. People prefer choice in their awards, but you can take advantage of those times when you know employees well enough to present a gift card that appeals to their special interests—providing a gift card to a retail bookseller, a national department store chain or popular hair salon, for example.

Gift cards also provide HR departments with customization options, the simplest of which is a card that's made out to the individual recipient. Some merchants can also put your incentive program's logo or the theme on the packaging itself, or even develop a custom card mailing complete with a specially-designed envelope and backup materials on the program, or a letter from the company’s top executive. Alternatively, you can present the gift cards, with distinct packaging, at a special awards ceremony.

Growing in Popularity
Gift certificates and gift cards are becoming a preferred motivator in both the consumer and business-to-business arena. The Incentive Federation study reports that gift cards/gift certificates were the most popular merchandise reward in consumer promotions (58 percent), dealer incentives (49 percent), sales incentives (59 percent), and non-sales employee awards (62 percent). They build on the strengths of non-cash incentives by offering rewards that are more memorable and can be redeemed for merchandise or travel that recipients wouldn’t otherwise buy for themselves. And they offer the power of choice in that recipients can select the reward that’s most meaningful to them.

The simplicity of the gift certificate/gift card/virtual gift certificate helps HR departments deliver programs in a way that’s both fast, and relevant for participants. Planning teams aren't restricted to finding the latest and greatest products, or feeling pressured to negotiate for the best price, delivery options and warehousing costs. These advantages allow more funding to be channeled into the award itself.

And purchasing gift cards is simple, as there are clear fee structures enhanced by bulk discounts and other perks. Turnaround times are mere days as opposed to a year’s worth of planning. Gift certificates and cards are also much easier to store and distribute to winners. They pack flat, don’t require assembly and are never technologically obsolete.

Two out of three incentive programs include at least one gift card offer, and it's no wonder since they represent the perfect vehicle for corporate initiatives of quality, safety, suggestion systems, referrals, loyalty, sales, productivity and more. In sum, gift certificates are a versatile, proven way to spur employees, customers, resellers and revenues.

For more information about discounted bulk gift cards please call RK Incentives
at (407) 896-2445 or visit us on the Web at www.rkincentives.com. Gift Cards
will be shipped directly from the specific merchant. Discounts are very attractive through RK Incentives due to the major volume that we currently conduct with these retailers, and we pass those savings onto you. Also, a complimentary $50 gift card will be awarded to individuals who place orders for $5,000 or more; in addition to your bulk discount. Please call us directly for discount information.

Rich Killian has served as President and CEO of RK Incentives since 2002. RK Incentives is an Orlando, FL based incentive company that consults with major retailers that want to improve their gift card sales. Rich is also the EVP of the Incentive Gift Card Council (www.usegiftcertificates.org) and is on the Board ofDirectors for the Incentive Marketing Association. (www.incentivemarketing.org) Rich has earned his CPIM degree (Certified Professional of Incentive Managenment) in 2005. The Certified Professional of Incentive Management designation recognizes individuals in the incentive field who have met a predetermined level of training and work experience and who demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the incentive field. Rich also serves on a committee for the Central Florida Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is very active in fundraising efforts. Rich has been married to his wife Marna for over 6 years and has a new son Jacob, who was born in January.

For more information about the quality merchants that RK Incentives offers, please visit them on the Web at:
www.rkincentives.com
www.bestwestern.com
www.regiscorpgiftcards.com
www.bn.com
www.daveandbusters.com
www.pier1.com
www.macys.com