Blackhawk Network (BHN), a global leader in rewards and branded payments, is partnering with Exchange Solutions™, a leader in loyalty and personalized offers solutions, to help businesses enhance their customer engagement strategies through more efficient, tech-integrated loyalty programs.

With this collaboration, Exchange Solutions pairs its loyalty program technology, features and functionality with BHN’s broad partner network and gift cards portfolio. Through this wider range of collective loyalty solutions, businesses in the retail, grocery, fuel and C-store, automotive and other industries can gain deeper insights into customer spending habits to create more rewarding experiences for customers. This one-stop-shop capability helps to make the most of the tools customers are currently using and ensures customers are receiving targeted marketing and reward options that drive deep, ongoing engagement.

“Our partnership with Exchange Solutions reflects our commitment to prioritizing fresh technology integration opportunities and fueling innovation in the branded payments space,” said Jennifer Philo, GVP, Global Commerce, BHN. “We’re providing a strategic, streamlined approach for businesses to leverage our combined expertise—offering more rewarding experiences for customers and better returns for businesses.”

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Research has shown that thriving loyalty programs maximize customers’ “earn and burn” activities—meaning participants are offered frequent ongoing opportunities to earn and redeem rewards quickly. The faster this cycle repeats itself the more businesses stand to gain from meaningful two-way relationships with loyal customers.

“As businesses increasingly seek out nimble, relevant rewards from their loyalty programs, we are partnering with BHN to offer just that,” said Darren Thompson, Senior Director of Partnerships at Exchange Solutions. “Our joint endeavor delivers measurable value by enriching loyalty program data, improving cost-effectiveness and providing in-demand rewards quickly. BHN’s vast portfolio and network provides highly popular global rewards options and connections that will help businesses identify pain points and maximize ROI on every customer interaction. By joining forces, we offer global, technology-enabled solutions that cater to modern-day business challenges.”

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The partnership between BHN and Exchange Solutions opens up tangible opportunities for businesses to maximize the impact of their loyalty program and gift card rewards via:

• Data-Rich Loyalty and Payment Innovation. Businesses can seamlessly align their loyalty and payout strategies via an integrated, comprehensive view of the entire customer journey. This enables businesses to offer personalized rewards (e.g., gift cards) to improve engagement while addressing common challenges like low redemption rates and high loyalty program management costs.
• Increased Revenue & Higher Average Order Value. Integrating a wide range of gift card rewards into loyalty programs ensures optimal choice and flexibility for participants. These attractive, relevant options encourage repeat purchases and reduce a reliance on discounts to help improve margins.
• Smarter Customer Insights & Personalization. By connecting loyalty program transactions and gift card reward activations and redemptions, businesses have access to more accurate customer data that informs smarter, more targeted marketing.
• Faster Implementation and Scalability. Integrating BHN’s physical and digital gift card portfolio with technology from Exchange Solutions provides businesses with cohesive redemption mechanisms and customer identifiers. This fast, scalable capability helps reduce IT overhead while supporting omnichannel engagement on a global scale—no matter the size of the loyalty program.
• Expanded Business Opportunities. Businesses in need of a full-scale loyalty platforms can rely on both companies’ abilities to deliver best-in-class technology and solutions. This one-stop-shop offers seamless execution and full-service solutions to bolster program capabilities via customer acquisition and retention.