Market Research Report

Merchant-Funded Networks: Bolstering Credit Card Rewards
cover Published by Mercator Advisory Group, Inc.
Published Product code 256401
Content info 36 Pages
Price

Introduction

Abstract

New research from Mercator Advisory Group sizes the market for a new issuer rewards model

Boston, MA December 4, 2012 The recession has turned many consumers into value-conscious shoppers, and merchants are seeking ways to exploit this mentality to attract new and retain existing customers. At the same time, issuers have an urgent need to create new revenue streams to compensate for declining balances on credit portfolios and reduced interchange revenue on debit portfolios. The combination of these forces is creating an enormous opportunity for merchant-funded network vendors, which have developed technology that can bring issuers, merchants, and consumers together in a way that benefits all stakeholders.

Mercator Advisory Group's newest report, Merchant-Funded Networks: Bolstering Credit Card Rewards, describes how U.S. credit issuers are implementing merchant-funded programs alongside proprietary reward schemes, and presents several ways for issuers to think about the value these programs provide.

Michael Misasi, analyst at Mercator Advisory Group and author of the report comments, "The amount of venture capital that merchant-funded program vendors are raising suggests that investors are confident in the future of card-linked offers. Mercator's analysis confirms that there are several reasons to be hopeful but also identifies areas where significant progress is required for the market to realize its multibillion-dollar potential."

Highlights of the report include:

  • An overview of the merchant-funded value chain, including major stakeholders, reward types, and the economic framework
  • Consumer spending volume and issuer revenue estimates for the two major segments of the merchant-funded incentives, including projections through 2015
  • An analysis of the strategies that credit issuers are using to integrate merchant-funded rewards with proprietary reward programs
  • A discussion of the major issues that could accelerate or hurt the demand for merchant-funded offers
  • Profiles of several leading vendors specializing in merchant-funded discount programs

This report is 36 pages long and contains 20 exhibits.

One of the twenty exhibits included in this report:

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Companies mentioned in this report include: Affinion Group, Affinity Solutions, Aimia, Alliance Data, American Express, Apollo Management, Bain Capital Ventures, Baird Venture Partners, Bank of America, Bankons, Bessemer Ventures, Billeo, Canaan Partners, Capital One, Cardlytics, Cartera Commerce, Cbsi Loyalty Solutions, Chestnut Hill Ventures, Citi Ventures, Clairmail, Clayton Associates, Common Angels, Comvest Group, DACE Ventures, Discover, Edo Interactive, FCA Venture Partners, First Avenue Partners, First Data, FIS, Fiserv, Flybridge Capital Partners, FreeMonee, GCG Angels, General Atlantic Partners, GLIDE Innovation Fund, Groupon, Harvest Partners, Intuit, IRC Holdings, Jack Henry, Jumpstart Inc., Jwaala, Kepha Partners, Kinetic Ventures, LBO Enterprises, Linkable Networks, MasterCard, NetSpend, Opus Capital Ventures, ORCC, PayPal, Pinnacle Partners, Polaris Ventures, Red Point Ventures, Regions Bank, Rewards Now, Segmint, Sutter Hill Ventures, Total Technology Ventures, Trinity Ventures, Truaxis, TSYS, UFG Asset Management, University of Akron Research Foundation, VantagePoint Capital, Vantiv, and Visa.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

A Taxonomy of Merchant-Funded Programs

  • Rewards
  • Incentives
  • Discounts
  • Gifts

MFN Value Chain.

  • Vendors
  • Merchants
  • Issuers
  • Cardholders

The Issuer Value Proposition

  • Vendor Revenue Share
  • Increased Card Usage

Sizing the Incentives Market

  • Merchant Malls
  • Targeted Merchant-Funded Incentives
  • Merchant-Funded Gifts

Issuer Strategies for MFN Programs

  • Vendor Selection
  • Program Type
  • Channel Selection

Vendors

  • Specialty Vendors
  • Vendor Partnerships
  • Offer Construction
  • Location-Based Offers

Specialty Vendor Profiles

  • Affinity Solutions
  • Cardlytics
  • Cartera Commerce
  • Edo Interactive
  • FreeMonee
  • Truaxis

Conclusions

  • Driving Value for Merchants
  • Interchange Regulation
  • Market Consolidation
  • Copyright Notice

Merchant-Funded Networks: Bolstering Credit Card Rewards published by Mercator Advisory Group, Inc. in December 5, 2012. This report consists of 36 Pages and the price starts from US $ 2950.

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