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Insights and Expertise

to promote both physical and digital gift cards. A restau- At the same time, don't overlook checkout friction. Mo-
rant, salon or retailer, for example, could offer “Buy a $100 bile wallets, contactless payments, mobile checkout and
gift card and receive a $15 promotional card.” streamlined online payment flows can make it easier for
legitimate customers to complete purchases. Your goal
Digital gift cards become especially valuable as shipping should be simple: less friction for good customers and
deadlines pass and consumers search for last-minute gifts. stronger controls against suspicious transactions.
Then think beyond December. Help merchants develop
January campaigns encouraging recipients to redeem A payments health check can also identify outdated ter-
those cards and potentially spend beyond their stored minals, gateway issues or integrations that should be ad-
value. dressed before peak volume arrives.
The ISO opportunity: Gift cards create another value- Turn BFCM Into a Retention Campaign
added service to discuss with merchants while potentially The biggest opportunity for ISOs and MLSs isn't another
generating additional transactions and future visits. Black Friday promotion. It is merchant engagement. Con-

Turn your payment data into marketing sider creating an office-wide outreach schedule:
• September/October: Holiday technology and readi-
One of the most underused marketing resources available ness review
to an SMB may already be inside its POS, CRM or loyalty
platform: customer data. Encourage merchants to segment • Early November: Marketing, loyalty and gift-card
customers into groups such as new, repeat, high-value and discussion
lapsed customers, and determine how to identify the be- • Before Thanksgiving: Processing, fraud and sup-
haviors driving purchase decisions in real time. port check

Instead of sending everyone the same BFCM offer, a VIP • December: Last-minute digital gift card and ecom-
customer could receive first access, while someone who merce opportunities
has not purchased in six months could receive a stronger • January: Holiday performance review and 2027 plan-
incentive. ning

The ISO opportunity: Train your team to discuss transac- Prioritize high-volume merchants, businesses with growth
tion data as a business intelligence resource—not simply potential and accounts your organization has not contact-
a record of payments. That minor change can help reposi- ed recently. This transforms BFCM from a four-day sales
tion your organization from processor to business partner. event into a structured portfolio-management strategy.
Prepare for AI-assisted shopping Be the partner behind the payment

AI is rapidly becoming part of how consumers discover, The winning BFCM strategy for ISOs and MLSs in 2026
research and compare products. Deloitte's 2026 retail out- isn't simply providing another terminal, API, gateway or
look also points to retailers investing heavily in AI-pow- payment option. It is helping merchants use their technol-
ered personalization and emerging agentic commerce. For ogy to run a stronger business.
SMBs, this makes accurate digital information and SEO Connect payments with marketing, loyalty, analytics,
increasingly important. ecommerce, fraud prevention and customer experience.
Most importantly, communicate those capabilities in a
Encourage ecommerce merchants to review their product language an SMB owner understands and can success-
descriptions, pricing, inventory availability, images, ship- fully implement into their business strategy.
ping policies, return information and FAQs. AI-powered
discovery can't effectively recommend products when a Your merchants are preparing for one of their busiest sell-
merchant's digital catalog contains incomplete or incon- ing periods of the year. Help them make the most of it.
sistent information. Because when your merchants generate more sales, retain
more customers and enter the New Year stronger, your
The ISO opportunity: You don't need to become an AI portfolio benefits right along with them.
consultant. Understanding how commerce is evolving,
and how your products and services meet their needs, Jaki Kackert is a seasoned marketing professional with experience
can help open conversations about ecommerce, inventory supporting organizations across the payments and financial services
management, CRM and integrated payments.
industries. Through expertise in content marketing, digital strategy,
Conduct a pre-holiday payments health check public relations, and communications, she helps ISOs and Resellers build
marketing strategies that attract, retain, and grow merchant portfolios.
Higher holiday transaction volume also brings increased For more information please visit www.kackertmarketing.com or reach
operational pressure. Before Thanksgiving, help mer- out to Jaki at jbkackert@gmail.com
chants review fraud controls, employee access, chargeback
notifications, refund procedures and backup processing
plans.
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