For points gift cards logic and issues?

[LesL269823]

I don't think there is much logic but some people feel they find patterns of brand offerings.

A few things stick out to me though.

Gift Cards that can be redeemed electronically, as in online shopping, seem to sell out fast since geography is removed from the redemption. Near Charlotte where I live, I am able to use many of the cards offered.

Points required possibly varies on a few things.

Amazon and Walmart gift cards are usually higher points cost, also as they are less discounted in

other markets like Costco and Sams.

Seems some companies that are failing like to sell gift cards that may never be redeemed before they shutter for good. There are also those that have so few locations. Joann Fabrics, Boston Market come to mind.

The program here is far from working well for everyone and I would not expect serious improvement soon. 

Yes, the system is quirking right now, for me, pages and logins are not durable. I would think that those having serious, chronic and ongoing issues could benefit from some group conversations to find the issue. Yes, we have all heard to clear cookies and cache, but also the SSL cache. Typically certificates are managed in both your OS and Browsers so they should be updated automatically. 

So many variables  there is Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, DuckDuckGo, then consider browser add-ons, so popular with advertisers, all kinds of security and privacy softwares, both paid and freebies people use. What works today might be kaput tomorrow. This goes well beyond cookies and cache and absolutely beyond my knowledge of how to make it all work correctly every time. 

[SereneSeagull]

Interesting topic. @LesL269823 

     As far as discussion board visibility goes, I think view counts has something to do with it, replies, activity in general. Click-through rates.  

       Same goes, in my opinion, for the click-through rates on the reward page.  Someone somewhere there has stats on this and know when to push out cards.  If a user is drawn to their website at certain hours of the day, etc. could play into this as well.

     There may be an agreement with the suppliers as to when they get those digital cards pushed out for higher visibility.  

     I’m assuming it may be like grocery stores for example….  In the soda and chip isles of grocery stores, those vendors compete for visibility space on the shelf.  They’ve negotiated with the retailer where they can place their products.  Coke for example, might negotiate that their product placement always has the coke brand on their cartons facing outwards, as opposed to other brands. If you notice those vendors stock those shelves: it’s not store employees.  They’ve got a negotiated deal on product placement and fulfillment.

     Marketing research I believe it’s called.   Someone gets paid to research our buying habits in stores.  The demographics of shoppers at particular times of the day.  Listen to the background music piped into the stores.  I find myself singing in the isles softly to songs directed to my age group at that particular time. Then I notice other shoppers doing the same.  

     Casinos are great at researching patterns of gamblers.  Notorious for it, actually.

     So yeah, for me, in my opinion, I’m sure there’s a reason why we see what we see, and when.  I’d be disappointed if it was a random person flipping a button and saying “eenie meenie miney mo”!   Great topic!