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Inspiration

Bring spirit to the season email receipt, for example. The
nature of the link would be up
to the merchant's personal sen-
he 2020 holiday shopping season is well under- sibilities and based on what
Happy
Happy customers are likely to enjoy. At
Holidays!
Holidays! way, and it looks like ecommerce will take the bottom of an email receipt I
center stage. Overall, our industry has done
T a stunning job amid the pandemic of helping received recently, the merchant
merchants improve on existing ecommerce channels or included a link to an uplifting
The Green Sheet song. It had no religious affilia-
December 14 2020 create them where they did not previously exist. We and
The Green Sheet
December 28 2020 tion or connotation and was per-
our merchant customers have proven to be resilient.
formed by engaging musicians
Yet for shoppers who enjoy the twinkling lights, decorations, seasonal scents, with passion and a little humor.
bustle and anticipation at retail stores at this time of year, along with arms It brightened my day.
laden with gifts to wrap at home, and stops along with way for hot chocolate • Add swag to deliveries: Now is
or fancy coffee drinks, the Amazon packages on the doorstep don't compare. a perfect time for merchants to
For some, the in-person interactions are central to the spirit of the season, a include not just one, but several
spirit that is harder to see in the pared down brick-and-mortar landscape and gifts along with customers' pur-
in smaller or virtual gatherings with family and friends. chases. These could be samples
Add some cheer of best-selling or brand new
products. Imagine a customer's
You could say we've done our job, making sure merchants have all the tools surprise at finding what they
and support they need to adapt to today's conditions. And you would be right. asked for—and more. Last week,
But can we do more to bring cheer to a holiday season that needs it more than I opened a package with five,
any other in recent memory? yes, five gifts packed in with my
I think we can, and here's how: purchase. I sampled them with
delight, and I'll be buying some
• Email something unexpected: Merchants can add a YouTube link to an of those products in the future.
• Include stories: People are hard-
wired to enjoy stories. Business
owners could meet with their
creative teams and come up with
a brief, inspirational story of,
say, 200 words or fewer to print
on packing slips, or include in
an email receipt or message.

• Reach out by phone and email:
No matter what business you're
in, you can commit to reaching
out to one person per day, either
by phone or by email, for the sole
purpose of spreading joy. The
message needs to be specific to
each person and note something
you appreciate about him or her.

These are just four ideas that
came to mind. I'm sure yours will
be even better. It's true that the
payments industry overall is likely
to fare well during the holidays.
Whatever we can do to uplift people
at this most unusual juncture will
help bring spirit to the season.

Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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