The Bellevue Collection

Background

The Bellevue Collection is a multi-use property in Bellevue, Washington, with a super regional shopping center at the heart of its retail. Its gift program ran on paper certificates, a format that was fast becoming obsolete and couldn’t be replaced if lost. The center needed a more modern way for shoppers to buy and use gift cards across its stores.

Solution

Since 2016, EML has powered The Bellevue Collection’s gift card program. Each card carries The Bellevue Collection’s brand and is loaded once, with acceptance controls that limit spend to participating retailers in the center. Shoppers use it like any other payment card, and retailers accept it at checkout with no changes to their point-of-sale systems. Behind the scenes, the center team gets real-time financial, transaction and merchant reporting, along with the ability to trace a lost card and move its remaining balance onto a replacement.

Outcome

Ten years into the partnership, 100% of gift card sales stay within the center, turning gifting into spend for its own retailers. Shoppers get a gift that works like any other card, and a lost card no longer means lost money. The team can trace it and move the remaining balance onto a new card, something paper certificates couldn’t offer.

“The team has helped to streamline our gift card program from card design to customer experience.” — Anna Reis, Guest Services Manager, The Bellevue Collection