FiveStars, the largest loyalty program for local businesses, announced today it has partnered with the city of Palo Alto, CA to bring the area its first unified "Made in Downtown Palo Alto" campaign. The "Made In Downtown Palo Alto" card powered by FiveStars will be the official VIP loyalty card accepted at businesses in Downtown Palo Alto, and is the broadest sweeping marketing campaign launched by the Palo Alto Downtown Association to date.

Nearly 50% of the retailers on Downtown University have already jumped onboard in the 3 weeks since the program was revealed, and the Downtown Association expects to have virtually all local business owners participating. The "Made in Downtown Palo Alto" campaign involves everything from highlighting all participating merchants on maps at Caltrain stops and hotels, promoting members to tens of thousands of consumers at city events like the Film Festival, and distributing cards to all 20,000 residents that live or work around downtown. This campaign also features a walking map, highlighting the participating businesses, which will be distributed in the Made In Downtown Palo Alto Magazine, local hotels, and Caltrain stations.

"Encouraging residents to buy local is critical for keeping Palo Alto's economy thriving and in turn keeping city services at a high level," said Russ Cohen, Executive Director of the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association. "With FiveStars powering the 'Made in Downtown Palo Alto' card, local consumers now have an easy way to earn great rewards for shopping and dining at their favorite local retailers and restaurants and those same businesses gain communication tools that engage their loyal customers in meaningful long-term relationships. It's really a win across the board for residents, local retailers, restaurants and all of downtown Palo Alto."

Popular hotels, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes, jewelry stores, galleries and flower shops are currently part of the program that encourages local residents and employees to keep their dollars within the community. Each business structures a unique reward to offer and the consumers are able to use their "Made In Downtown Palo Alto" card or phone number to track rewards. Customers can also tout their rewards on their Facebook page to share their experience with friends. Merchants are able to directly engage with customers through relevant targeted emails and text messages to announce promotions and encourage repeat visits.

"The FiveStars-powered Palo Alto card is a great way for us to build the Downtown Palo Alto brand, and I am thrilled that we were able to bring this to our community," said Barbara Gross, Co-Founder of the Palo Alto Downtown Association and GM of the Garden Court Hotel. "The Garden Court Hotel will be participating in the program to provide added value for our guests, our community and our fellow merchants."

"We are very proud to participate in a city-wide program that encourages consumers to buy from local retailers," said Victor Ho, CEO and Co-Founder of FiveStars. "The card makes it simple for both merchants and consumers. Our mission is to help increase customer retention for retailers, and this 'Made in Downtown Palo Alto' program will help the city drive greater revenues while rewarding its local customers."

To read more about the "Made in Downtown Palo Alto" program and see a list of participating businesses, click here.

About FiveStars

FiveStars is the largest loyalty program for local businesses, enabling customers to use just one loyalty card everywhere they go and still earn store-specific rewards. FiveStars helps local businesses build digital connections with their real-world customers, resulting in more engagement and ultimately more business. It's the only universal loyalty program that's integrated with merchants' Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, enabling them to easily sign up new members and track spending, yet still only takes about 10 minutes to get up and running. FiveStars is based in Palo Alto, CA and has raised $16 million in funding to date. Visit www.FiveStarsCard.com.

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