Stepping It Up:  An Improved Customer Experience 

Make sure your employees/members are familiar with the four new features we’ve added to our website to make their shopping experience smoother. 

1. Save To Your Shopping Cart. With this new feature your employees/members have more time to make their selection.. They can save the item  they are considering to a shopping cart and  complete their order later from any  device. 

2. Stay Up-to-Date with One Click. Using the My Account dashboard, customers can view a summary of their balance, spending limits, orders, documents and more.

3. Online Account Statement. Payment Details in No Time. Customers now have access to their account statement online, in the My Account section. The account statement lists all transactions – payments, purchases, credits, etc. This makes it easier to monitor balances and control their budget.

4. Online Document Upload. Easier Paperwork Processing. When new customers make a purchase, they no longer will need to fax documents required to verify eligibility. The My Account section now allows your employees/members to scan documents and upload directly to our website. The Document Upload feature is also available for Order Confirmation.

We’re pleased to take another step in continual innovation and improvement to assure the best experience for your employees/members.

The Only Employee Purchase Program to Go Mobile - by Nico DuPlessis, VP of E-Comerce

We are pleased and excited to announce that we launched a mobile optimized website and mobile app for our employee purchase program in November 2014 in time for Holiday Shopping! 

The new mobile-optimized website is more user friendly for display on smartphones and tablets making it easier for your employees/members to sign-in, browse, shop and checkout on a smaller device. They will enjoy:

• Refreshed home page with new, helpful content

• A shorter, simpler registration & sign-up process

• Updated storefront with larger images and mobile-friendly navigation

• Easy-to-use checkout flow

• New My Account dashboard with interactive visuals

Your employees/members are already using mobile devices to engage with Purchasing Power with approximately 45% of our total current online visits coming through their smartphones and tablets. More than half of these visitors proceed with shopping through their smartphones and tablets, which demonstrates that our customers have a strong preference to use mobile as a channel to engage with their benefits. 

As the leading employee purchase program dedicated to delivering your employees an excellent customer experience, it only makes sense that our employee purchase program be available to customers in a mobile capacity to super serve our loyal customers.

To further demonstrate our investment in technology and commitment to innovate, Purchasing Power has launched a new mobile app that can be downloaded by our customers from Google Play (Android Market). The Apple App Store will have the app available for download  around Thanksgiving.  The benefits of the Purchasing Power mobile app include:

• Shopping through the mobile-friendly site

• Uploading documents using the camera on the device

• Gaining quick access to view orders, account balances and spending limits

• Viewing Daily Deals and New Arrivals

Purchasing Power is now proud to serve your employees/members through all channels of preference and to be a leader in the benefits space.

Time for Turkey, Wishbones and Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with traditions, including eating turkey, watching football and giving thanks. In the spirit of this November holiday, we’d like to give thanks to you and your employees/members.

According to the Food Network show “unwrapped,” 98 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. A tradition associated with the Thanksgiving turkey is “making a wish” with the wishbone. So, in the wishbone tradition, we’d like to make a wish. We want your employees/members to see value in and be very satisfied with their Purchasing Power experience. Our recent customer survey data shows that we’re on track with this wish – 94% say that access to Purchasing Power reduces financial stress.

With an employee purchase program that allows workers to acquire life-enhancing products and services for themselves and their families on a disciplined budgeting program, everyone’s wishes can come true.

Food for Thought: Serve Up Some Unconventional Employee Benefits 

Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with traditions, including eating turkey, watching football and giving thanks. In the spirit of this November holiday, we’d like to give thanks to you and your employees/members.

According to the Food Network show “unwrapped,” 98 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. A tradition associated with the Thanksgiving turkey is “making a wish” with the wishbone. So, in the wishbone tradition, we’d like to make a wish. We want your employees/members to see value in and be very satisfied with their Purchasing Power experience. Our recent customer survey data shows that we’re on track with this wish – 94% say that access to Purchasing Power reduces financial stress.

With an employee purchase program that allows workers to acquire life-enhancing products and services for themselves and their families on a disciplined budgeting program, everyone’s wishes can come true.

Choosing Voluntary Benefits for All Working Generations

SHRM.org posted an article this month by Purchasing Power’s Elizabeth Halkos, Chief Revenue Officer, on how to match voluntary benefits with workers diverse generational needs.

Today’s workforce spans three generations that look at work, life and finances in different ways. Likewise, they have different benefit needs. 

Based on focus group interviews, we produced generational profiles for the Baby Boomers, Generation X and the Millennials that highlight the voluntary benefits that best address these groups’ varying financial situations. Click here to access full article.

Recognizing that voluntary benefits are becoming an essential component of well-designed employee benefits programs, review our complete guide to voluntary benefits designed to assist companies in matching marketplace options to employees’ diverse needs. 

“Paving the Road to Financial Wellness with Voluntary Benefits: A Guide to Tailoring Benefits to Employees’ Diverse Needs” outlines the comprehensive array of voluntary benefits available today; profiles typical employee segments; and illustrates which voluntary benefits best fit each employee type.   

Follow These Holiday Spending Budget Tips 

This year, the National Retail Federation predicts that consumers will spend an average of $804 on holiday-related expenses including gifts, décor and greeting cards. Simply putting those expenses on a credit card, and paying the minimum payment can mean paying for this year’s Holiday gifts for the next 4 1/2 years!

Make a plan and budget for holiday spending but also look at various alternatives for financing the cost if cash isn’t an option.

1. Decide how much you can spend. Holiday money should come from your current income.

2. Decide who is getting what. For each person, set a firm “no more than” purchase price for their gift, or designate “card-only” or “make or bake” gifts (cookies, handmade ornaments, etc.)

3. Don’t get seduced into buying. Shop early, research before shopping and stick to the list.

If cash isn’t an option to cover holiday spending, look closely at what various financing methods will cost in terms of interest, fees, etc. Comparing financing options – credit card, payday loan, layaway, etc. – shows that Purchasing Power is a better alternative when cash isn’t available for a purchase. With our employee purchase program, holiday spending is less stressful because a 12-month payroll deduction schedule helps ensure that payments aren’t missed, there are no late fees and no loss of merchandise. Our holiday promotions begin mid-November. Make sure your employees/members are on the lookout for these specials.