Kroger partners with Blackhawk Network to enhance gift card curbside service

By Pavithra R

American retail company Kroger has announced partnering with global branded payments provider Blackhawk Network to leverage Blackhawk’s On-Demand Activation capabilities to allow customers to add a gift card to their cart with any other products they’re purchasing. 

Holiday shoppers are turning to gift cards more than ever, and with the surge in demand for curbside service, shoppers can now easily add gift cards for curbside pickup along with their groceries at 1,900 Kroger stores across the country. Upon picking up the order and following the instructions, customers can activate the gift card that they’ve purchased.

“We’ve seen huge increases this year in online shopping and customers leveraging buy online, pick up curbside options, but there hasn’t been a way to include gift cards in that shopping experience. Our new solution offers a quick and seamless solve for that, providing customers a new and contactless way to continue buying gift cards at grocery while creating a new channel for retailers to engage and drive revenue,” said Brett Narlinger, head of global commerce, Blackhawk Network. 

Online grocery sales are expected to grow by 40% in 2020. With a remarkable portion of the increase in online grocery shopping expected to be permanent, curbside pickup capabilities for gift cards is expected to become a more critical engagement and revenue channel for retailers.

“We’re always looking for new, seamless ways to engage our digital shoppers, especially with the rapid and widespread adoption of curbside pickup in recent months. Leveraging Blackhawk’s On-Demand Activation capabilities to add gift cards to curbside pickup allowed us to quickly adapt and innovate to shifting consumer behavior by providing an engaging customer experience for shoppers anywhere they shop—in-store or online,” said Jarrod Cummins, Director of Prepaid Services, Kroger. 

Blackhawk Network delivers branded payment programs to help meet challenging business objectives. The FinTech provides its solutions through prepaid products, technologies and network that connects brands and people. The firm was acquired in 2018 by Silver Lake and P2 Capital Partners and is being held as a private company. It has presence in over 26 countries. Recently, the company partnered with SKUx to empower retail promotional incentives.