38-39_Lifestyles.qxp_Grid 10/05/2024 17:56 Page 2
In Conversation with…LIFESTYLE (MOTIVATES)
PAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT There is a company in the UK that sold tens of £millions worth of cards in the last year that very few in the greeting card community would be unlikely to name in a quiz. Puzzled? It’s a bit of a trick question as Lifestyle (part of Motivates) is a gift card company, but one that is not missing a trick in wanting to forge stronger links with the greeting card community. PG caught up with Trina Scott-Priestley, the company’s, head of retail partnerships to find out more about this fast growing sector. “I don’t need to tell anyone involved in the greeting card industry, either publishers or retailers, that consumer buying habits are changing, as they are masters of relationships, ensuring that they have the right designs and the right captions at the right prices to match their customers’ expectations,” said Trina Scott-Priestley, head of retail partnerships at Lifestyle. “I however feel that there are more Left: Two of the For You designs, which offers a combined greeting card and gift card in one. Below: Trina Scott-Priestley.
discussions to be had to bring the benefits of gift cards into the greeting card realm as it really is a win, win.” The gift card market is not only huge, valued at £7bn (source: KPMG), but it is growing twice as fast as retail. As well as covering consumer purchases through the cards, now a staple in grocers many high street multiples, it also includes businesses that use the cards as a ‘reward and recognition’ tool for employees, a market that’s grown significantly since the pandemic. Trina, a former accountant and software consultant joined Lifestyle just over a year ago and is loving it. 38 PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Above: The UK gift card market is now worth £7billion.
Trina’s remit is to build more bridges with retailers, from multiples right through to independents about the opportunities a gift card presents. “I really want to bridge the gap and educate those that may have felt gift cards are not for them that they are a perfect add on to their offer,” says Trina. “A gift card does not take away from a traditional greeting card or gift purchase, it is invariably an additional purchase, bringing something different to a retailer’s product mix,” she adds. Lifestyle became a standalone company six years ago, originally part of the B2B rewards offering at Red Letter Days. “Red Letter Days was a company acquired in 2015 by ‘Dragons’ Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis,” explains Three years later, following a management buyout, (MBO), Motivates was born, with Lifestyle splitting from Red Letter Days to focus on providing customers with expert advice on how to make rewarding easy. In 2020, the company partnered with InComm to go into the gift card mall space too, starting out in Sainsbury’s, Asda and WHSmith. “That decision transformed the business,” states Trina. “We were the first two step multi-choice gift card company in the sector, which has helped the company to grow significantly, making Lifestyle one of the market leaders in the multi-choice space, where a card can be swapped for a large variety of partners across all categories. With over 250 partners, a customer can swap their Lifestyle gift card for John Lewis, Primark, Boots, cottages.com and so many more,” she explains. Among the most recent developments,