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Gift Cards and Philanthropy Get Boost When Black Woman Entrepreneur Gives Gift Card Packaging a New Look
Houston, TX -- March 20, 2007 -- Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes has pledged a donation of 5% of their gross annual sales to The Oprah Winfrey Foundations, making them a part of a growing trend among small and medium businesses actively involved in philanthropic activities. “Making the world a better place is the responsibility of every human being, but we have to do more than just talk about it. Oprah is an excellent example of what just one person can achieve. Supporting her foundation, with its emphasis on education, is just us doing our part. Hopefully, we will serve as an inspiration for other companies to do the same,” says Amy E. Tinsley, President of Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes, LLC.
In December 2005, Ms. Tinsley, a 34-year old marketing director for an international law firm, purchased more than 30 gift cards as holiday presents for her friends and family. She soon discovered that the only products available to package her gift cards were flat envelopes, tin boxes, or juvenile stuffed animals with plastic card holders. None of these options conveyed the message she was trying to send: love and thoughtfulness.
According to Ms. Tinsley, she “couldn’t believe that there was a huge consumer market for gift cards, but a complete lack of packaging available for people who wanted their gift to be presented beautifully.”
So, she took matters into her own hands, went to the craft store, purchased all types of ribbons, trims, and decorations to begin experimenting with designs. She recalls her first round of prototype gift card holders as “fun and memorable.” I wanted to create a gift card package that would get the reaction of anticipation and surprise from someone who didn’t know they where receiving a gift card,” said Ms. Tinsley.
Given recent statistics on the gift card market, Ms. Tinsley is smart to be on the leading edge of companies taking advantage of this trend. According to a 2006 Consumer Insights Survey prepared by First Data Prepaid Services*, nearly 8 out of 10 American adults who responded to an online survey purchased or received a gift card in the previous 12 months and nearly half did both. On average, American consumers purchased 5 gift cards in the previous 12 months and spent an average $281 on those cards.
By January 2006, Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes was created. When their website went live in April 2006, it was less than a week before the first order arrived and six months later, Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes could be found in Kroger grocery stores throughout Texas and Louisiana. This month, the company secured a distribution contract with Kerr Drug stores located throughout North and South Carolina.
However, make no mistake; Peek-A-Boo!’s success didn’t come without hard work. As Ms. Tinsley recalls, “In the beginning, business was happening so fast that I was getting more orders than I could handle and I still hadn’t located a box manufacturer. My best friend, my mother, and I were all making boxes in my living room and garage! We would work our regular jobs during the day and then put in another 5 to 7 hours of work in the evenings! Securing a box manufacturer and hiring an engineer consultant to design custom displays for major retail store clients changed everything.”
But, for Ms. Tinsley, Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes is about more than its financial success, it’s also about giving back. “I believe that the world is experiencing a shift in mindset, where a growing number of people desire success, not just for themselves, but for the entire human community. As an African-American woman, I want to be an example to other women and show them that you can take a simple idea and change your life and the lives of others.” And, she’s actively pursuing that goal by carving out her own niche in the world of retail.
Amy E. Tinsley has a degree in Psychology, an MBA, and more than 15 years experience in marketing and sales. She is president of Peek-A-Boo! Gift Card Boxes, the only gift card packaging product on the market made with traditional ribbons and bows! Visit: www.peekaboogiftcardboxes.com . For questions, contact:Katherine A. Moore
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Office: 1-800-409-4319 Ext. 3 Cell: 832-767-9730 *About First DataFirst Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) is a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions for businesses worldwide. Serving 4.6 million merchant locations, 1,900 card issuers and their customers, First Data powers the global economy by making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses around the world to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment. For more information, visit www.firstdata.com .
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