The Prepaid Press - March 2009 - (Page 19)

GIFT CARDS & PROMOTIONS March 15 · 2009 - 19 CashStar Launches Interactive Gift Card Platform Company Launches with $4 Million in Funding More than a Gift Card: CashStar’s Marketing Network CashStar was created by Coupons, Inc., a U.S. provider of consumer-printed coupon marketing and technology solutions. CashStar utilizes Coupons, Inc.’s secure print barcode technology foundation to provide a secure payment technology platform. The company also leverages Coupons, Inc.’s network to promote its customers’ unique Interactive Gift Card offerings. CashStar merchants have access to an online network that they say exposes their Interactive Gift Card to millions of potential customers on the Web. “Coupons.com has been incredibly successful at connecting online and physical markets as consumers shift from newspaper to the Web,” commented Steven Boal, Coupons, Inc.’s president and CEO. “We anticipate that the same will happen in the gift card market, as more consumers shift from plastic gift cards to quick, easy and eco-friendly virtual gift cards that can be redeemed online or in-store. There is a huge market opportunity for CashStar’s technology.” Major features of the CashStar platform include eGifting, Intelligent Brand and Design Management, and Marketing and Promotions tools. “The payments market is quickly evolving and the demand for prepaid and gift cards continues to explode. While we’ve witnessed significant growth in the physical plastic form factor in recent years, the potential market opportunity for innovation online with new form factors is huge,” said David Stone, CEO of CashStar. “Having already delivered our solution to retailers across several verticals, we feel well-poised to capitalize on this important new category of Interactive Gift Cards.” Source: Coupons, Inc. (www.couponsinc.com) CashStar (www.cashstar.com) VIPGift Continues Sales Expansion Adds Three Additional Directors CHATTANOOGA, TN (February 24, 2009) VIPGift has added three additional Sales Directors: Scott Jacobs, Claire Dittrich, and Sheryl Shewman. Said Vicki Church, Vice President of Sales, “We welcome Scott, Claire and Sheryl to our rapidly expanding sales team. Each Director brings unique skills and experience that are specific to their respective industry vertical segments. Their combined knowledge base will ensure that VIPGift can provide incentive and loyalty solutions to a variety of customers across multiple industries.” Scott Jacobs brings gift card industry knowledge and more than twenty years of sales experience to his new position. Prior to joining VIPGift, Jacobs owned an independent office products company before beginning a successful fifteen-year career with Staples. Claire Dittrich joins the Company with twenty years of sales experience and a strong financial industry background. Before accepting her new position, Dittrich served as a Relationship Manager with Discover Financial Services and as a Vice President with MBNA America Bank. Sheryl Shewman was a Regional Sales Consultant with Incentive Logic, a performancebased rewards solution provider, prior to joining VIPGift. She brings more than fifteen years of sales, promotional marketing and management experience to her new role. Shewman also serves on the Board of Directors with the Leaders Group. “We have quadrupled the size of our sales force in the last three months,” said Richard Char, President of VIPGift. “The additions of Scott, Claire and Sheryl represent our continuing efforts to better serve our diverse array of customers and extend our market reach.” Source: VIPGift (www.vipgift.com) PORTLAND, ME (March 2, 2009) CashStar, an interactive gift card and incentives company, has unveiled its e-gifting, marketing and promotions platform. The CashStar platform enables businesses and consumers to securely e-mail monetary value such as Interactive Gift Cards, rewards, incentives and rebates. The company says that several companies, including Uno Chicago Grill, Travelocity Incentives and Gorham Bike & Ski, are already offering Interactive Gift Cards via the CashStar platform. In addition, the company disclosed that is has secured more than $4 million in funding. CashStar offers a secure way to send a personalized gift via email. For retailers, CashStar provides an alternative to plastic cards and enables them to add personalized promotions to every card, helping to drive traffic and increase average purchase size. “Gift cards make perfect last-minute gifts, so when we met with CashStar, we knew we needed their solution in time for our important holiday season. The CashStar team implemented our virtual gift card offering within a two-week timeframe – just in time for the holidays,” said Rick Hendrie, senior vice president, marketing, Uno Chicago Grill. “By offering a virtual gift card that could be emailed to recipients we more than doubled gift card sales through our website during the last two weeks of December.” Pentagon Installs Unique Card Personalization Line Adds ProTech Equipment CANADA (February 23, 20090) Pentagon Graphics has installed a ProTech Personalization Line for card customization. “The machine is our answer to the many demands we were receiving from our customers,” says Harvey Caron, Marketing Director. “For our gift card customers, the high speed line is capable of applying both standard and high resolution (DOD) ink jet for cards that require a variable, high quality bar code on every card. The line is also capable of personalizing one side and encoding the magnetic stripe on the other side with matching information. Our phone card and contest customers will appreciate the personalized slurry scratch-off feature of this new machine.” Pentagon Graphics was established in 1974 and has been specializing in the complete production of phone and gift cards since 1996. Source: Pentagon Graphics (www.pentagon.ca) http://www.Coupons.com http://www.vipgift.com http://www.couponsinc.com http://www.pentagon.ca http://www.cashstar.com http://www.incomm.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - March 2009

The Prepaid Press - March 2009 Contents The Retske Report: A Disconnect in Connecticut Regulatory Rundown 5 Minutes With Brooks Smith, CEO of InComm TracFone Launches SafeLink Wireless in NY iPayStation Enables International Top-Up Comverse Launches Next-Generation IMS Solution Prepaid Companies Agree to Pay $2.25 Million Prepaid Telecom in Brief Boost Mobile Reintroduces Itself Virgin Mobile Announces New Branding Campaign The State of Prepaid Technology: Becoming a Virtual Operator Prepaid Wireless Roundup New Prepaid Calling Plans from Verizon Wireless The Legal Line Jobless Benefit Debit Card Usage Debated InsurCard Provides Catastrophic Relief Solution Metavante, Monitise Americas Launch Text Banking TransCard Provides Personal Financial Management Walmart to Help Americans Manage Finances Payments and Processing in Brief Prepaid Consumer and Employee/Partner Incentives CashStar Launches Interactive Gift Card Platform VIPGift Continues Sales Expansion Pentagon Installs Unique Card Personalization Line Digital Promotions Grow in Popularity The Ultimate Gift Card Network Retail Sales Show Unexpected Rebound Smart Transaction Systems Selects Hypercom GiftCards.com Acquires Swapagift.com InComm Gaming Opportunities on the Rise VCT Adds Equipment to New Jersey Facility Gift Cards and Promotions in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - March 2009

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