Chocoholics rejoice: Purdy's Chocolates launches Ernex-powered gift card program

Just in time for Christmas shopping chaos, Purdy's Chocolates today announced the launch of an Ernex-powered gift card program that will undoubtedly prove popular with chocoholics young and old this holiday season. Ernex, a division of Moneris Solutions Corporation, is a leading provider of loyalty and gift card programs. Purdy's gift cards give customers the flexibility to load the card with any dollar denomination between $5 and $250. Gift cards can be purchased and redeemed at any of the more than 50 Purdy's Chocolates locations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

"We're growing quickly and have aggressive expansion plans for 2006 - it's absolutely the right time to offer our customers electronic gift cards," said Karen Flavelle, President and Owner of Purdy's Chocolates. "We know that our customers love our chocolates, and now they can pass that love on by purchasing the gift cards for friends and family. Purdy's gift card customers will become Purdy's brand ambassadors."

The market for gift cards is exploding. According to a recent Statistics Canada survey1 comprising 80 of the nation's largest retailers (representing over 11,000 stores), 68% of these stores offered gift cards during the 2004 holiday season, up 15% from the previous year.

"Ahead of the holiday season is a smart and strategic time for merchants like Purdy's to introduce a gift card program," said Malcolm Fowler, Vice President & General Manager of Ernex. "While gift cards are a great idea 12 months of the year, it's no surprise a large portion of gift cards are activated during the holidays. In fact, in the five days leading up to Christmas last year, Canada's legion of last-minute shoppers were responsible for 40% of the total dollar volume activated on Ernex gift cards in the entire month of December."

Purdy's debit and credit transactions are processed using Moneris HiSpeed 3100IP terminals - which will also now be used to activate and process gift cards. The advantage to merchants is the freedom and flexibility of processing all forms of payment with a single point-of-sale terminal while at the same time minimizing clutter and maximizing counter space.

• Gift Cards - A great way to attract new customers and encourage them to buy more while reinforcing your corporate brand.
• Real-Time Points Loyalty - Helps you identify your most valuable customers and reward them at the point-of-sale.
• Promotional Tool Kit - Grab customers' attention with customized receipt coupons, personalized receipt messaging and sweepstakes.