Valpak and Cartera Commerce Partner to Integrate Exclusive Local Offers Within Cartera Merchant Network

Cartera Commerce, the leading provider of multi-channel shopping solutions and merchant-funded rewards (formerly known as Mall Networks), and Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, today announced a partnership to deliver offers from Valpak's tens of thousands of local businesses to Cartera's banking and loyalty clients. Cartera's Local Discounts solution, for which Valpak is the first partner, offers retail banks, card issuers and other large loyalty programs the ability to offer access to special deals that consumers can use at local stores and restaurants.

The partnership comes at a time when shoppers' expectations for coupons, discounts and special offers have increased dramatically. "With coupon awareness on the rise, consumers are more willing than ever to abandon a purchase if they can't find a coupon," stated a recent 2010 Harris Interactive Poll. "The results [of the poll] indicate that regardless of whether the economy rebounds or suffers a double dip recession, coupon usage has become the 'new normal' and the behavior is here to stay."

One of the companies driving this trend is Valpak, a company with a trusted brand and deep relationships with tens of thousands of businesses operating in locales across North America. Through the partnership with Cartera, consumers can easily search for digital coupons from Valpak's network by location, and then use the coupons to get discounts at local businesses. Because the coupons can also be co-branded with a specific bank or loyalty program, Cartera's Local Discounts solution provides new benefits for its financial services and loyalty clients by driving increased customer engagement and encouraging use of a bank's credit, debit and prepaid cards.

"With the launch of the Local Discounts solution and our partnership with Valpak, our banking and loyalty clients have a new way for customers to save money when they shop — and not just at national and regional retailers, but also now at tens of thousands of local businesses," commented Marc Caltabiano, VP of marketing and products at Cartera. "Shoppers gain unparalleled access to valuable offers and discounts, local merchants get more business, and our clients have a new way to engage and transact with their customers."

"Valpak wants to make it easy for consumers to access savings wherever they are," said Jim Sampey, chief operating officer of Cox Target Media, providers of Valpak. "By partnering with Cartera, Valpak's local merchants can extend their advertising reach to the more than 150 million shoppers in Cartera's network, enabling them a unique opportunity to drive new customers and grow revenue, while introducing consumers to quality goods and services in their community."