Rebate Delivery Methods
In the past, mail-in rebate fulfillment was the standard method of rebate delivery.
Customers would buy the product, fill out an attached card and send it through the mail with proof of purchase. The manufacturer or retailer would then process the handwritten submission and send a rebate check back to the customer through the mail, assuming they met the requirements of the rebate program.
Although many companies still use and benefit from mail-in rebate programs, you can now offer other rebate delivery methods too. Choosing a delivery method that suits your organization’s goals and your customers’ preferences can allow your rebate campaigns to provide a better return on investment. In fact, a strong rebate program can boost sales, build customer loyalty and give you an advantage over competitors. Learn more about rebate delivery options and see how improving rebate delivery management could make your campaigns less stressful and more successful overall.
Choose the Right Rebate Delivery Methods for Your Campaign
Today, manufacturers and retailers have many options when it comes to rebate fulfillment. Depending on the product, the size of the rebate, customer preferences and other factors, businesses can select one or more delivery methods to maximize participation and payoff. Some of the delivery options you might consider for your next campaign include:
A check is perhaps the most common rebate delivery method. You can send rebate checks through the mail and expect a decent level of security. You might choose this kind of rebate if your campaign is targeted at older consumers or if you want to give participants the ability to spend their reward however they see fit.
Gift card rebates limit the options participants have when spending their rewards by allotting money to spend with a specific retailer. You might issue gift card rebates if you want to guarantee spendback, which happens when customers spend their rebates on more of your products.
Physical prepaid cards act as highly secure and customizable rebates. When you customize a prepaid card with your own branding, customers will associate your company with a positive spending experience. Plus, through the simple power of suggestion, people are likely to spend between 30% and 60% of the money with the retailer whose branding appears on the card.
A digital prepaid card strategy allows you to deliver rebates faster and attract more online shoppers. Mobile rebate programs take these benefits one step further, allowing participants to spend digital rebates from their smartphones easily.
Remember to think about the types of customers you are trying to attract when choosing a rebate delivery method. Having a range of fulfillment options allows you to tailor your campaigns to different customer needs.
Streamline Rebate Processing and Fulfillment
Another important factor to consider when planning your rebate campaign is processing and fulfillment. To satisfy participants and preserve your company’s reputation, you need to fulfill rebates quickly and accurately. At the same time, you want to extract as much useful data as possible from rebate submissions. If you don’t have the internal bandwidth necessary to handle rebate processing and fulfillment, you can simplify the task by working with a rebate delivery management company such as Incentive Insights.
We can process high volumes of submissions efficiently, ensure participants receive their rewards quickly and create custom rebate technology, software and portal solutions to meet your needs. Unlike our competitors, we allow you to customize every aspect of your campaign. This means we can deliver rebates in several different forms, including email rebate program management.
Offer More Motivating Incentives in the Future
One of the biggest benefits of running a rebate program is the ability to collect valuable customer data. Simply ask participants to provide a little information about themselves and their shopping habits before they claim their rebates. You can use this type of market research to learn everything from where your customers shop to where they spend time online. Because the data comes straight from customers, instead of removed third parties, you can use it to eliminate uncertainty and make smarter business decisions.
At Incentive Insights, we know rebate programs offer treasure troves of data. To help you make the most of your campaigns, we verify every piece of data we collect and use the information to create custom customer insights reports. We write our reports in language that’s easy to understand, so you can use them to:
- Develop more successful products
- Improve your targeted marketing
- Evaluate your channel sales partners
- Offer more motivating rebates in future campaigns
Reach out to Incentive Insights to Get Started
At Incentive Insights, we’ve been providing rebate delivery management services for over 20 years. We know what properties make a rebate program successful. Whether you’re running a year-round mail-in rebate program or a short-term email rebate program, we want to help. Call 914-290-4234, fill out our online contact form or request a free offer setup to get started.
