Alliance Data Systems Corporation , a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced its Retail Services business has signed a long-term renewal and expansion agreement to continue providing private label credit card services for Orchard Brands, a leading multichannel retailer of apparel and home products, focused on serving the rapidly growing market segment of women and men above the age of 50.
The renewal agreement encompasses four brands currently included in Alliance Data's relationship with Orchard Brands – Blair, Haband, Old Pueblo Traders, and Bedford Fair. In addition, Alliance Data will launch startup private label credit card programs for nine of Orchard Brands' other brands, including Appleseed's, The Tog Shop, Draper's & Damon's, Sahalie, Gold Violin, WinterSilks, Norm Thompson Outfitters, LinenSource, and Solutions. Headquartered in Beverly, Mass., Orchard Brands posted 2012 revenues of approximately $1 billion.
For each brand, Alliance Data will create and implement a marketing-driven private label credit and loyalty program designed to recognize and reward cardholders with points based on spending. In addition, the program—named 'VIP' across all brands (i.e. Blair VIP, Haband VIP, Appleseeds VIP, etc.) —will feature cross-shopping functionality to enable cardholders to use their rewards credit cards to shop with all of the other participating brands in the Orchard Brands family.
In addition, cardholders will experience one convenient checkout with any of the thirteen credit cards from its multi-brand website. Alliance Data will conduct a staged rollout of the program, with all brands scheduled to be live with the program by September.
"Our partnership with Alliance Data has become an integral component of our customer engagement strategy, and we are excited to add these new brands to our VIP rewards-based credit program," said Marc Sieger, Co-President and Chief Operating Officer for Orchard Brands. "These marketing-driven credit and loyalty solutions serve as an extension of each of our brands, adding value for the cardholder while also creating additional touch points with each of our brands. We're confident we will realize continued success with the expansion of these programs."
"We're incredibly pleased to renew our relationship with Orchard Brands, while expanding our partnership at the same time," said Melisa Miller, president of Alliance Data Retail Services. "Adding these nine new brands underscores our continued successes with Orchard Brands.
"Alliance Data understands the 50-plus demographic—how these customers prefer to engage with a brand, and their varied communications preferences. We're excited to have the opportunity to measurably increase sales and purchase frequency for Orchard Brands, and to expand and extend our long-term, valued partnership."
