Why shouldn’t manufacturers handle rebate promotions themselves?

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” This axiom is doubly true for rebates. Done right, they result in satisfied customers who’ve provided a valuable trove of data; not to mention happy retailers. Mishandled, they can wreak havoc on your bottom line and your reputation.  

To handle their processing smoothly and maximize their yields, rebates demand the resources, time and solid infrastructure that place undue burdens on manufacturers, sidetracking them from their primary business.

Enter a system dedicated to rebate management, data capture and client satisfaction: ours.  With 20 years of managing consumer submissions and partnering strategically with manufacturers, we know what you need and what customers want. And with 300 processing specialists aligned over two locations, we deliver results.  

We know customers.

Internet look-up, toll-free customer service and email confirmations are all reassuring to wary customers looking for award transparency. Processing rebates in a timely manner and providing prompt customer support are key to creating, and cementing, a positive association with your brand and products. Even one rebate can open the way toward consumer loyalty, and we want to support that evolution. This past July, we introduced Live Chat during weekdays as another point of contact for customers. And our phone, email and web-based queries remain in full force, with guaranteed same-day response during business hours. Phone calls have zero hold time. Our after-hours answering service handles calls on evenings and weekends, with a 100% next day response. We are prompt, professional and easy to reach. 

We know manufacturers.

The threat of fraud is ever present, so we offer multiple levels of fraud protection to help you avoid costly bank fees and bureaucratic snags. We validate every submission for authenticity and qualification; our clearing and duplicate check scanning are features that ensure only qualified payments are accepted. We also have a robust system of file security to protect consumer data.

We capture data for promotions…and beyond.

Data is power; we manage data on your behalf. At the touch of a button, you can stay connected with the consumers who have purchased your products; and glean key insights from the information they have provided. If you’re looking for unique redemption options and branded promotions, we offer those value-adds too: custom gift card printing, contest management, and consumer polling.

Rebates done right

Planning expertise, efficient processing, data modeling and superior client support: all reasons to entrust rebates to a dedicated processing organization, so you can focus on your core strengths.

Do Rebates Make Retailers Happy?

When they're done right, absolutely.

What retailer can resist a competitive advantage with no added expense? There’s a reason rebates excite retailers as much as they do customers. Essentially, rebates are a free marketing campaign for the store, driving sales without eating into margins.

Rebates’ proven “call to action”—the promise of a cash reward in a finite time frame—draws customers into the store. Increased foot traffic results in increased sales and consumer retention, creating a competitive advantage without making a dent in your retailer’s margin. If a $79 item carries a $40 rebate, the price OTD (“out-the-door”) remains $79 although the customer perceives it as $39—the discount already fixed in her mind.  Top-line revenue increases as the store moves to the forefront of the customer’s awareness, becoming a familiar fixture of one’s shopping routine that entices with the prospect of future savings.

• Rebates can reduce stock of a slow-moving product, freeing up space on retailer shelves.
• Rebates can stimulate a burst of sales while maintaining the retailer’s price point.
• Rebates can be used to introduce a product price correction.
• Rebates can encourage additional purchases across categories. 

Brisk sales, brisk movement

With 20 years’ experience in rebate processing, we know how to drive product sales with mail-in rebates. Our complete rebate processing services can bring consumers back to the retailer, too. Research from the Aberdeen Group finds the top benefit of rebates for both retailers and manufacturers is customer retention (50%), followed by ROI (50%) for retailers, and customer conversion rates (46%) and customer engagement (42%) for manufacturers. 

Post-rebate awards

A key way to cement consumer loyalty is to make post-rebate awards exclusive to the retail outlet, taking such forms as coupons, credits, online codes or gift cards. A consumer survey from last September about preferred forms of reimbursement indicated that shoppers across income levels and industries overwhelmingly preferred prepaid cards over discounts, statement credits and e-cards—citing the “convenience and flexibility” of a physical, plastic prepaid card in their hands. The delight of a merchandise credit works to retailers’ advantage when the gift card reward is linked to the store. Rewarded for their initial purchase, customers will return to the retail store to spend their gift card—and then some.

Bottom line: rebates bring customers into the store to spend money, get acquainted with the layout and inventory, adjust their shopping behavior and become shoppers for the long haul. The retailer doesn’t have to do any extra work beyond welcoming the influx of customers through the door. 

Rebates 2.0

 It’s hard to hear the word “rebate” without reflexively thinking “mail-in.” There is something tried and true about the process, as rebates have reliably increased sales, launched new products and captured extensive consumer data all through a promise of mailing in paperwork and getting a check mailed back. Yet in our two decades of experience in rebate processing, we have witnessed, responded to and often led the evolution of rebates into paperless options for electronic rebates that are attractive to consumers, valuable for clients, tailored to e-commerce and friendly to the earth.

Acclimated to on-line shopping and e-commerce, many of today’s customers appreciate rebate options via an online platform that expedite payment, shorten their to-do lists, save them a stamp and give them a chance (or an excuse!) to “click around” online for a fully branded consumer experience. When the traditional rebate “call to action” is coupled with digital-age efficiency, consumers respond well before the rebate offer expires. In some cases, consumers can scan and submit rebates on their smart phones. Wireless rebates are even bypassing email completely, as consumers partake in promotions on Facebook and Twitter to gain access to rebate offers exclusive to that social media platform. DataMatrix offers all these options as well as custom solutions.

Good for the earth

Electronic rebates are among our many initiatives to conduct business that’s environmentally friendly. Because they save on paper, ink and postage, electronic submissions contribute to a healthier planet. And because they are easily tracked, resources are conserved at every stage.

Good for the brand

What do consumers do with the time they save? They often linger on-line to browse—and buy! We have found that online submission and redemption tools segue into an opportunity for “brand immersion,” in which the rebate seamlessly integrates into branding and marketing for the product. Consumers who become part of the brand’s “digital audience” are also likely to opt-in to receiving offers, updates and more information. By linking to brand websites and social media pages, online rebates become part of a rich and robust digital presence that captures consumer interest and lays the foundation for their loyalty.

Whether you opt for mail-in or electronic rebates, or some combination of the two, we are here to make your rebate promotion a resounding success.