CBScity

Background

CBScity helps destinations across the Nordic-Baltic region drive footfall and spend, bringing town centres, shopping centres, hotel chains and destinations together under one shared gift card. Every destination has its own mix of retailers and businesses, and with them a mix of different till and point-of-sale providers. CBScity needed a gift card that would be accepted across all of them, while still carrying each destination’s own brand.​

Solution

Since 2018, EML has provided CBScity with a private label Mastercard programme, with physical and digital cards branded for each destination. Because the cards run on Mastercard, participating businesses accept them on the payment terminals they already use, with no need to integrate with each till provider. EML issues and processes every card, while CBScity sells them through sales points, web channels and self-service kiosks. What began in Sweden now runs across five countries and is expanding across Europe.​

Outcome

CBScity’s gift card programmes have generated more than SEK 4 billion in local spending, much of it with local businesses, helping communities stay vibrant. CBScity now issues more than one million new cards a year, and each programme grows by 7–8% a year on average, built on long-term client relationships and what CBScity describes as virtually zero churn. CBScity lets clients keep unspent balances, so that money goes back into developing their programmes and supporting local causes, giving them a strong incentive to sell cards.​

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