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A chief aim of every business is making your customers happy and what’s more enjoyable as a consumer than having a choice? Multi-merchant programs do just that by giving consumers the flexibility to choose where to spend their gift card or loyalty value. Partnering with noncompetitive companies can secure new relationships and win business that might have gone elsewhere. Consider these benefits to a multi-merchant gift program. 1. Brand awareness: retailers capitalize on being associated with the other merchants in the program. This can only enhance consumers awareness of your business and the likelihood they will enter your store 2. Local acceptance: one concept that’s had strong adoption is stimulating business in a particular area through a multi-merchant program. For instance, you might create a program that falls in a downtown district or maybe a student application in a school zone. 3. Direct spending: retailers can issue a card that the consumer can spend on related items where other participating businesses offer a discount. 4. Partner added dimension: a retailer could add value to their own card as a promotion. For example, a coffee shop could say ½ of specialty drink or buy one book get one free. 5. Consumers want them: 2010 research shows 62% of consumers say they would buy a multi-merchant card over a specific retailer card and 1 in 7 people have bought one in the last 12 months. Data provided by the Mercator Advisory Group