Blackhawk & SKUx expand partnership to accelerate digital transformation of promotional offers and Coupon Standards

By Pavithra R

Global branded payments provider Blackhawk Network has announced expanding its partnership with rising FinTech company SKUx, to transform the offer, rebate, coupon delivery, and processing needs for today’s cutting-edge merchants and brands.

The alliance is poised to disrupt an industry that has remained relatively unchanged for over 25 years. With first-of-its-kind payments technology, Blackhawk and SKUx will digitize and automate offer delivery, redemption, and settlement. The technology also supports the new guidelines for a universal coupon standard set in 2020 by The Coupon Bureau (TCB).

“As the couponing and incentives landscapes evolve to better serve today’s needs of an omnichannel retail environment, we are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation alongside SKUx and TCB. We look forward to working with our industry-leading network of partners to bring this solution to market,” said Helena Mao, vice president of product at Blackhawk Network.

The technology, powered by Blackhawk and SKUx will offer an end-to-end solution that can help solve challenges that presently affects retailers and consumer product goods (CPG) manufacturers, including:

• Accept and deliver unique, trackable offers that can be redeemed in-store and online
• Reduce impact to topline revenue and receive faster settlement on redeemed offers for merchants
• Manage campaigns and trade funds effectively with faster redemption notification for CPG brands
• Eliminate overhead costs associated with fraudulent coupon use or mis-redemptions

“SKUx is excited to bring to market with Blackhawk Network a real-time, omnichannel solution that offers increased value for the retailer, brand and consumer. At SKUx, we are committed to transforming the end-to-end offer to payment to settlement system. Our proprietary serialized, digital platform—called Smart Incentives™—merges the best of technology with much needed trust and transparency. And, most importantly, it creates a promotional experience that meets today’s customer demands,” said Bobby Tinsley, SKUx co-founder and executive vice president.