Customer loyalty coupled with creating professional and productive interactions with its customers is a top priority for SVM – a global leader in providing incentive and motivation solutions – according to Jim Speir, VP of Sales.
“Every employee at SVM understands that we cannot exist without satisfied customers that feel SVM provides true value to their businesses,” Speir told Loyalty 360. “Our success in servicing customers is critical as they use our products to grow their businesses and maintain a positive and productive work environment for their employees. If the products we provide do not have the desired effect, their businesses are not successful.”
Based in suburban Chicago, IL, SVM also has offices in the United Kingdom, serving all of Europe. SVM’s products include gift cards, network prepaid cards, promotional and reward cards, eGift and award codes, gift card management services, and gift card fulfillment services.
SVM also offers promotional or reward gas gift cards. Due to the company’s commitment to providing products and solutions that drive positive behaviors, SVM recently launched a new website and marketing campaign to share its motivation and incentive solutions.
Speir said the new website launch was a way to place a “new focus” on the SVM story. As part of the marketing campaign, SVM is conducting research to uncover and reinforce industry-wide trends. Data about incentive and motivation programs is being gathered from human resources departments and marketing and sales professionals. Findings will be published on the new website and blog.
“We’ve always focused on products that drive positive behaviors, but I don’t think we did a really good job of talking about who SVM was,” Speir explained. “With the new website, we want to underscore who SVM is, and to drive positive behaviors instead of quietly sitting on the sidelines. We want to tell the gift card-buying world what we do and try to bring real-life stories with practical applications to these products.”
Speir said SVM’s fiscal growth is “very healthy” compared to five years ago.
“Our sales grow in excess of 15% per year,” he said. “It’s healthy seeing some innovation happening with electronic gift cards. While we’re finding interest in e-cards, we’re not seeing a decline in the sale of plastic gift cards. We’re finding more applications that do instant promotions.”
For traditional loyalty programs, Speir said he sees hesitation from many companies to switch over to digital completely.
“People predicted digital would grow dramatically in the consumer setting, but in the B2B setting we haven’t seen that kind of explosive growth,” Speir said. “One trend we continue to see if a movement toward more typical everyday gift cards. The B2B setting is more about the utilitarian side of the card -- process, operations flow to meet B2B customer need. The consumer end is more about marketing and packaging.”