We spoke to Larry Nichter from eMags Rewards about how the incentive world is changing, why eMags is making such a difference now and the story of eMags and what it is trying to achieve
Hadie: How do you think the pandemic has changed the incentive world?
Larry: I think it’s fundamentally changed what people need as a reward. Customer priorities have shifted. A simple smile is worth any amount of currency, and we created eMags Rewards to make that available to companies looking for an advantage in the time of COVID-19.
Clients need simple solutions that provide real value and a positive brand experience. Digital content allows an audience to experience the world from their home, and that’s exactly what the best magazines do. Rewards that are contactless, user-friendly and personalized are the ones that people will remember now.
Hadie: Magazines have been around for a long time in the incentive world. Where does eMags Rewards fit and why is it different?
Larry: There are two main answers to this. First off, we are not a Trojan horse of any kind and we are not interested in data or upsells. That was old school magazine sales.
The second is that our publisher relationships and products make us uniquely qualified to disrupt the rewards space. Our proprietary digital reader and personal library platform, designed by our parent company, eMagazines, has outstripped every other product on the market. The magazine industry’s biggest names have turned to eMagazines to translate their print pages to digital masterpieces. And that’s the product that we give to your customers as a gift! No strings, no pop-ups, and no interruptions. Your customer gets exactly what you promised- a magazine subscription delivered straight to their inbox which they can access anywhere. And the only marketing message they read is yours.
Right now, people don’t need gimmicks. They need joy. They need authenticity. Why not give them a choice of the magazines they already love in a beautiful digital edition they can read anywhere?
We built our platform from scratch and designed it specifically for mobile devices and smartphones. Mobile reader platforms are finally ready for prime time and ours is the best.
Hadie: Which magazines do you work with? What is that relationship like?
Larry: We work with almost every major magazine publisher in the U.S. and U.K., bringing their magazines to stunning new life. They’re our partners and we’re proud of those relationships.
Our publishing partners are eager to show the public how good print magazines can look in digital format with no pop-ups or other distractions, especially now when contactless options are so popular.
Hadie: How did the pandemic impact your business model? What do you think other companies could learn from your experience?
Larry: There was no way any of us could have seen the pandemic coming. But eMags Rewards was uniquely positioned from the start to meet consumers and clients in this moment because we invested in a new way of thinking about rewards. By creating a consumer-friendly experience featuring the best content, we were already ahead of the curve.
The best thing companies can do right now- whether they’re in the rewards and incentive industry or not- is put their customer first. Put yourself in their shoes. Give them the ability to walk around with a complete digital magazine library anywhere they go. They can read it online or offline. It’s really cool, accessible technology.
Hadie: What’s the origin story of eMags Rewards? How did this new business idea come about?
Larry: For the last few years, the parent company of eMags Rewards, eMagazines, has been perfecting the industry’s top digital reader tech. The goal has always been to give new life to the magazines people have loved for decades and, in some cases, even longer. The consequence was a frictionless, customer-centric platform that provides instant access to digital magazine content and an awesome personal library platform.
I saw a perfect fit with eMagazines’ stellar technology and my experience selling low cost digital incentives.
Hadie: Who is your ideal customer/client?
Larry: We think anyone who wants to provide a valuable digital gift with a price point of $5 or less will love our product. And because eMags Rewards is entirely customizable, the options are limitless. We can be a standalone gift, part of a bundle or a redemption and point program. There are no limits to what we can do for a business’ marketing and rewards efforts.
We have clients in the rewards space, but we also have clients in the energy sector, retail business, etc. eMags Rewards is a solution for anyone who wants to start a positive dialogue with their customer or employee.
Hadie: Let’s talk about marketing. What makes your solution to customer communications unique?
Larry: It’s a simple equation: positive engagement leads to trust, and trust leads to loyalty. Our platform has complete white label capabilities, allowing you to customize your messaging. Instead of ad interruptions, pop ups or credit card requests, your customer gets exactly what you promised: a gift. And in most cases, you get a full year of positive brand engagement for $5 or less!
