Incentive - April 2008 - (Page 44) THE INCENTIVE MERCHANDISE BUYER’S HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS building blocks to a worthwhile investment Table of Contents Chapter One Identifying Your Objectives . . . . . . .46 Chapter Two Planning the Strategy; Setting the Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Chapter Three Choosing the Merchandise Awards . . .52 Chapter Four Creating Buzz for the Program . . . .56 Chapter Five Finding the Right Partner . . . . . . . .59 Chapter Six Presenting and Delivering the Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Chapter Seven Evaluating the Program . . . . . . . . . .66 A Produced by Incentive Special Projects Department 770 Broadway New York, NY 10003 Editorial: (646) 654-7647 Advertising: (646) 654-7638 Elizabeth West, Director Karen Gines, Executive Editor Amy Bothwell, Creative Director Michelle Tropiano, Cover Design Denniston Brown, Interior Design Tessa Sestina, Interior Design Nancy Lazarus, Research Director Anita Wise, Production Manager Writers: Heidi Waldrop Bay, Marc Boisclair, Jeanie Casison, and Christopher Hosford ccording to the Incentive Federation’s 2007 Marketplace Study, 77 percent of management respondents in large companies viewed merchandise incentives as an investment, not a cost. Why do they see it that way? Because they’ve learned the value non-cash incentives bring to the performance table: increased sales, better productivity, higher customer satisfaction, and a more engaged work force. Given a declining economy, those goals matter more than ever, and motivation takes on greater urgency. While the $32.70 billion market for merchandise incentives is nothing to sneeze at, the same Incentive Federation Study found little less than half (48 percent) of larger organizations using merchandise incentives, and about a third (30 percent) of small to medium companies reporting merchandise incentive usage. There’s clearly room to grow. If incentives have always sounded interesting but daunting to initiate—perhaps a previous incentive program went awry, or if you’re just plain skeptical of the results, this handbook is for you. Along with providing the basics of setting up well-designed programs with a merchandise award focus, chapter case studies reinforce their efficacy. The uncertainty of today’s economy makes merchandise an especially ideal tool for motivating in leaner times. The award category allows for an appealing choice and an array of price points, satisfying both your budget and the tastes and desires of every audience involved. Read on to learn more. 44 | April 2008 SPECIAL SECTION
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