In an article on May 4, 2020 in the Atlantic, titled, “The Small Business Die-Off is Here”, the author opines, “The government is engaged in an unprecedented effort to save such companies as pandemic-related shutdowns stretch into the spring. But Washington’s policies are too complicated, too small, and too slow for many firms: Across the United States, millions of small businesses are struggling, and millions are failing. The great small-business die-off is here, and it will change the landscape of American commerce, auguring slower growth and less innovation in the future.”

To help slow down and reverse the devastation facing small businesses across this country, ICH and its partners are proposing a massive outreach to merchants through the SAFE Stimulus Program™.  We are designing high-value, low risk, no upfront cost marketing offers, or “packages”, through the SAFE Stimulus Program™.  Simply put, merchants are offered a marketing “advance” as a primer or stimulus package to help promote their business.  This marketing advance is either a Primary Stimulus Package or a Premier Stimulus Package.   

Through the SAFE Stimulus Program™, mom and pop merchants, small businesses and online shopping sites everywhere will be able to issue cash-backed points or Secure Points™ so their customers can apply them like an instore credit to purchases at the store where they got them or at any other participating merchant location.  This kind of sharing of customers and rewards is referred to as an “open-loop” ecosystem.  An open-loop system is where a merchant offers a universally adopted loyalty incentive that can be redeemed at other merchants in a network, coalition, or ecosystem that have agreed to reciprocal rules of commerce.  This “open-loop” ecosystem allows Secure Points™ earned from one merchant to be redeemed at competitive businesses.  

“coopetition” or “coalition loyalty programs”) they tend to:

• increase their market reach

• attract more customers into their stores

• increase the frequency of visits

• increase the ticket size

• have access to a broader scope of better consumer data

• create greater loyalty

• reduce bank transaction fees; and

• make more money from adopting an open coalition loyalty strategy using a universal open point currency.

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