Fairfield Chamber’s e-gift card program helps boost in-town sales
Encouraging people to frequent local businesses has become something of a double challenge over the past year, with the increased dominance of e-commerce pummeling the brick-and-mortar retailers while the economic chaos created by the pandemic has forced many people to be more conservative with their spending.
The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce is seeking to get more residents to shop and dine within the community”™s stores with a new digital program exclusive to the town”™s business community. The Fairfield Community e-Gift Card program was launched in November with the participation of the town government in response to the distinctively challenging economic situation facing the region.
“This is another way to help our business community,” said Beverly Balaz, president of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. “And it keeps local dollars local.”
Before Balaz took the leadership reins at the chamber, the organization did a pilot program with physical gift cards that were redeemable in Fairfield businesses, but that proved to be unwieldy to reconcile and manage and was quickly shelved. Balaz recalled that she was contacted a few years ago by Yiftee, a provider of e-gift card programs and digital promotions focusing on municipalities and chambers of commerce. Balaz and Mark Barnhart, Fairfield”™s director of community and economic development, heard the company”™s pitch but initially turned it down.
“Neither one of us had the bandwidth at that time to really sink our teeth into it,” Balaz recalled. “This summer, I thought, ”˜How can the chamber continue to promote our local business community? We”™re not doing any events.”™ So, I had bandwidth here to really dig my teeth into the program and called Mark, and I said, ”˜We”™re going to do this.”™ And he said, ”˜I”™m in”™ ”” and off, we went.”
The e-gift cards are available through the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce”™s website and can be bought by anyone. However, they are only redeemable in the 72 Fairfield-based businesses participating in the program. The e-gift cards can be acquired in denominations of up to $250, and the purchase is subject to 5% of the card”™s value and a $1 delivery fee.
The card recipient is alerted by either email or text, and a personalized message from the purchaser is forwarded to the recipient. When the recipient presents an image of the gift e-card on their phone at the time of redemption, it is processed as a Mastercard transaction and the card balance is displayed on the phone. Cards can be used at participating businesses until its amount is fully spent.
Balaz pointed out that unlike the cumbersome physical card program from years back, the new program does not require any new processing tools by merchants.
“If a business takes a credit card already, they don”™t have to change their POS (point of sale) system,” she said. “They sign up through the chamber and we get them over to Yiftee, so they”™re live and on the website.”
The chamber rolled out the cards in early November, ahead of the year-end holidays and by early January the program had already generated more than 700 e-gift card purchases and more than $42,000 in Fairfield-exclusive transactions.
“I myself gave the shop local e-gift cards as presents this holiday season,” Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said. “This program is a success all around and it makes me happy that our residents supported our local businesses.”
For Balaz, the program has the potential to become a staple of any holiday-focused marketing endeavor.
“We will continue monthly to market and promote themes to buy your e-gift card for Valentine”™s Day, Mother”™s Day, Father”™s Day, graduation and special occasions,” she said. “But this isn”™t just a holiday program ”” it is year-round and will hopefully go on forever.”