Recap: Merchandise Trends Survey

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According to joint research between Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine and the Incentive Research Foundation, merchandise incentives are on the rise. The Merchandise Trends Survey was conducted in spring 2011 in order to identify the latest trends in the corporate incentive market. A total of 160 respondents who plan incentive programs or purchase incentive gifts responded to the survey. Comparing the results from this year with last year, it's clear to see that more companies are returning to merchandise as a way to reward salespeople and retain customers and employees.

Here's a simplified breakdown of some of the more interesting statistics and findings from the survey:

• In 2011, 11% of companies canceled their merchandise incentive programs. In 2012, only 6% plan to cancel.
• The top reasons why 2011 programs were canceled:
  • One: Pressure from top executives in the company
  • Two: Market pressure
  • Three: Concerns about media scrutiny
• 46% of respondents' 2012 incentive merchandise budgets will stay the same as 2011 (+/-5%), but 27% plan on spending slightly more in 2012 (6% to 10%)
• Merchandise is purchased for the following programs:
  • Sales incentives: 72%
  • Customer gifts: 47%
  • Nonsales incentives: 33%
  • Dealer/distributor incentives: 30%
  • Anniversary gifts: 27%
  • Consumer incentives: 25%
  • Safety incentives: 19%
  • Wellness incentives: 15%
  • Other: 6%
• 27% of respondents buy pillow-top gifts
• These are the types of merchandise that are purchased for incentive programs:
  • Apparel/wearables: 69%
  • Gift cards: 67%
  • Awards/plaques/trophies: 58%
  • Office accessories: 54%
  • Electronics: 53%
  • Golf products: 53%
  • Food: 44%
  • Giftware/home accessories: 43%
  • Luggage: 40%
  • Jewelry/watches: 32%
• 52% of respondents make an effort to purchase "green" gifts
• 61% of respondents make an effort to purchase locally made items
• In 2011, a majority (24%) of respondents spent between $50 and $99 per gift. In a close second, 23% spent between $100 and $249 per gift.
• 87% of respondents buy branded merchandise
• 12% of respondents incorporate gaming into their online programs

There you have it! Which statistic surprised you the most? Given these findings, what do you predict for the industry in 2012?

An Industry First: Purchasing Facebook Ads with Rewards Points

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I ran across an article on Colloquy's website the other day that immediately captured my attention. It announced that American Express Cardmembers were now able to purchase Facebook Ads with Membership Rewards points. This is an industry first. Never before has a program allowed rewards points to be used for advertising purposes.

An excellent idea for small business owners, the new partnership allows Cardmembers to pay for Facebook Ads with Membership Rewards points in an effort to build their business through the rapidly growing area of social advertising.

"The Membership Rewards program is a unique and core asset for American Express that is becoming even more relevant for our Cardmembers in the social media space," says Ed Gilligan, Vice Chairman at American Express.

This is a perfect example of how incentives have expanded in recent years. Whether you're vying for employee or customer loyalty, the message is the same: Those with an influence on your business are motivated through incentives and rewards.

Here at Hinda, we've seen the ways in which incentives have grown and improved over the years. Digital awards are rising, as well as experimental rewards. What are some other innovative ways you can use rewards points? Leave a comment and let us know.

The Earthquake's Ripple Effect in the Merch World

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Japan is still trying to avoid more catastrophe and try to make sense of all the devastation they've faced as a result of their 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. The earthquake has a major impact on a global scale with a heavy amount of the consumer electronics industry being seated on the tiny island.

So what effect will this have on CE awards? Right off the bat, not a whole lot.

According to several consumer electronic manufacturers in Japan, production of several components of large brands have been suspended for the time being. Reports of worker injuries have been fairly minimal inside the plants but enough damage has been sustained by some to put production temporarily to a halt. Though some factories are still functional, some ports are destroyed, making the shipping of products even more difficult. With the delay in shipments, the industry as a whole probably won't feel the effects of this until the summer, since much of the inventory for now is already here.

Even with this affect, our concerns should focus more so on the relief efforts and recovery of the people in Japan and not so much on the electronics. People always come first.

What other news do you all know regarding the quake's effect on merchandise and our industry as a whole?

Our Social Media Footprint

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A lot of our readers and subscribers are loyal fans via our blog. However, our social media footprint expands beyond just our blog. You may have noticed the links on the right of the page...if you click through to the website. If you're a subscriber, these links may have been lost on you. Below are a few other ways to connect with Hinda online.

Twitter

You can find us as @hinda_incentive on this microblogging site. We are fairly active on here and actually like to engage in conversation with others. It's a great conversational tool for us and we love to chat with anyone willing. This is also a venue where we post new videos, blog posts, and even a few fun photos from inside our own office.

LinkedIn

More of a LinkedIn fan? We can relate. There's a growing audience on LinkedIn. Though there isn't much opportunity for engagement from a brand perspective, anyone can follow our activity online. Simply click here or on the LinkedIn icon on the left of the page to follow us on LinkedIn. On our page you can see our new hires, most recent tweets and blog posts, and even learn (and recommend) some of our services like Custom Packaging or the Warehouse Dash.

YouTube

Want to get a more visual representation of who we are and what we do? Our YouTube page is a great start. The incentives industry has a habit of being hard to understand and our role in it isn't the easiest for many to wrap their heads around. These professionally produced videos tell viewers more about the Warehouse Dash, Custom Packaging, and other better information about Hinda in general. Click here to view our YouTube channel. If you're a registered user, subscribing to our channel would also be a pretty good start :)

Facebook

We've not done a lot on Facebook until recently but now like to hang out here online as well. Recently, we've created a new Welcome splash page for new visitors. The Welcome page shows off how to contact us via QR code, info and links to more info about the Warehouse Dash and Custom Packaging, along with some fun photos. In addition, our Fan Page is where we show off photos from inside the walls of our company, host all of our YouTube videos, and even post content straight from this blog. We've also integrated our Fan Page with our Places page. That way, if you ever have the pleasure of checking-in at our office, you'll link right to our fan page.

QR Codes

Using a service called JumpScan, we've made contacting us through mobile devices even easier. Using a scanner application on your smartphone, you can simply scan the 2D barcode on the right of our home page (will need to click through to see it) and pull up ways to contact us via phone, email and social stream with the simple touch of a button. Doesn't get much easier than that.

Want us to connect with you? Shoot some contact information in the comments below, drop a note through the contact page or send us a message via one of the above social channels. We'd love to hear from you!

New Startup Looks To Improve Recognition and Feedback

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Who says employee recognition and emerging media can't go hand in hand?

A new tech startup called Rypple looks to expedite the process of performance reviews and management to employee feedback. Setting themselves up as a sort of internal social network, Rypple makes feedback less of an annual event and more of a real-time situation. We spoke yesterday about how feedback could help satisfy that craving for instant gratification from employees by getting performance feedback almost immediately.

How does Rypple work?

A company could come to Rypple and set up an internal account. From there goals could be set, feedback given - publicly or privately - on a wall-style format and reports of goals. Rypple even goes as far as adding a game layer to their system by adding badges to recognition. The employee won't just earn a verbal pat on the back but also receives a virtual award to supplement it. Definitely a quick route to recognition.

Check them out here. What do you all think? Is this an effective tool for recognition?

Hinda Featured on {Grow}

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 We jumped in on the social media thing about a year and a half ago. Over time, we've grown a community of those who share information about technology and performance behavior. Recently, we were asked to tell our digital story on @markwschaefer's {Grow} blog. His community is one of the fastest growing blogs on the web right now, sneaking into the

Advertising Age top 100 in six months time. Special thanks to Mark for reaching out!

Want to learn more about our digital story and how we're leveraging social media for success? Our resident blogger @drewhawkins tells our story on {Grow} today.

Click here to view the post.

UPDATE: B2B Twitter of the Year Awards

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A few weeks ago, we posted about how we had been nominated for a B2B Twitterer of the Year in the National/International B2B Services category.

Thanks to your support, we ended up second place in the voting round, helping us become a finalist for the award! At this point, our fate is left to the hands of a judging panel who will review the finalists and declare a winner from there. The votes and support we received from YOU, our online friends, has helped put us in contention.We'll find out the final result come February.

Click here to see the full list of finalists in each B2B Category. We'll keep you posted on how things turn out.