Getting Buddy-Buddy with ISO Businesses

C anada is home to many notable players in the payment-processing arena. One in particular, Ernex Marketing Technologies, has recently introduced a partner program that is committed to promoting referrals and creating value- added opportunities for POS and terminal vendors; providing marketing and direct mail agencies with the ability to offer flexible, easily-adaptable, real-time marketing offerings; and accelerating customer loyalty and retention capabilities across all channel partners. Now that's a mouthful!

Ernex's goal is to bring value to merchants by allowing them to better understand and reward their customers, to proactively foster loyalty and retention, and it has translated into a unique approach: It allows merchants to easily configure powerful marketing campaigns for loyalty members in real time at the point-of-sale.

In support of that ambitious goal, the Ernex EMP Program is now available. Such major players as IVI Checkmate, rPower, Moneris Solutions and Cognos already have signed up. Here's how it breaks down:

The program is available to two types of partners, Channel Partners and Business Partners. The Channel Partners include POS partners, such as terminal vendors and POS companies, and Marketing Partners, such as direct mail companies, marketing agencies and marketing service providers.

Ernex provides its POS partners with value-added services, such as Ernex Real-Time Points (loyalty program) and Ernex E-Gift (stored value gift cards). Ernex's Marketing Partners become Ernex-certified to showcase the value-added services that complement their more traditional efforts.

The Business Partner aspect of the program includes Processor Partners, such as transaction processor networks, and Technology Partners, such as hardware and software vendors and suppliers. By providing value-added electronic marketing solutions to Processor Partners like Moneris Solutions, Ernex intends to help these partners leverage their existing connectivity and networks into merchant points-of-sale.

The program intends to aggressively meet the merchant demand for electronic marketing solutions. For its Technology Partners like Cognos, Ernex's program will extend its strong, informal partnerships with suppliers and provide mutually beneficial associations with dynamic companies around Ernex's unique value proposition.

"Technology and point-of-sale vendor partners working with us through our new Ernex Marketing Partnership (EMP) program can help their card-issuer clients increase usage and customer loyalty through Ernex's innovative real- time marketing solutions," said James Christensen, President and CEO of Ernex Marketing Technologies.

"Our loyalty solutions give financial services institutions the ability to create cost-effective, coalition-style loyalty programs with merchants, thereby creating a groundswell of customer loyalty that leads to repeat sales and usage to not only the merchant but also the card issuer.

"Ernex's partners value our unique capabilities because we allow their clients to track loyalty points and other marketing programs in real time, and to create flexible, value-added promotions at the point-of-sale, helping to accelerate customer loyalty and retention capabilities."