Though it was one of the biggest shopping days of the year, only a handful of people shuffled from store to store in Downtown Crossing... Elery Pfeffer, the chief executive of Nift, the Boston-based startup that matches consumers with small businesses, said there aren’t any signs the falloff in spending at brick and mortar small businesses is coming back soon. “Small businesses have moved to delivery as much as they can, but it is not near compensating for the loss in foot traffic,” Pfeffer said.

Vermonters snatched $425,000 worth of gift cards in a few hours on Sept. 8 and within six days had redeemed 11% of those offers and then some, according to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. As of Monday, the 1,678 redeemed gift cards reaped an additional $23,831 for businesses across a variety of sectors — more than 50% above their stated value, according to an ACCD report. The gift cards were free to those who signed up.

There was a mad dash for deals Tuesday across Vermont, with shoppers signing up to receive free credits to small business. The offer, meant to extend a lifeline to struggling mom and pop operations during the coronavirus pandemic, was so popular that the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development said funds ran dry before some people could take part.

Buy Local Vermont is a program created by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. The program uses CARES Act funding to aid Vermont businesses and residents struggling in the wake…

You know how to treat the customer right and give them a great experience. But to set yourself apart as the best of the best, you need to thank your clients in ways they’ll love and know where to look to bring in great new clients. Thousands of businesses and 3 million customers later, we can tell you with confidence, the secret to attracting and retaining great clients with e-gift cards.

NIFT (www.GoNift.com), the AI-powered platform helping neighborhood businesses bring great local customers through the door, worked with Instagram and Facebook to offer more ways for people to discover eligible Nift Neighborhood Businesses selling gift cards via the Nift Store. The collaboration surfaces eligible Nift Neighborhood Businesses on Facebook and on Instagram via business profile pages and story stickers, making it easier for people to find and purchase digital gift cards that support their favorite local businesses.

Last week, Nift launched an online store where users can buy $30 pre-paid digital gift cards to thousands of small businesses ranging from boutique pet treat stores to specialty salons, along with a slew of restaurants. The idea is to support the businesses now so they can weather the storm of coronavirus; then, shoppers can actually patronize them later. Nift sends the gift card amounts to businesses immediately via check or direct deposit.

It’s no secret that many martech and business technology companies incorporate philanthropy as part of their core values. For example, Nift, a Boston-based network, established to help community residents explore local businesses and restaurants by providing discounted gift cards that can be used at participating locations.
In an effort to encourage — and even assist — city residents to support local small businesses, Nift sent subscribers a free $30 gift card in the hopes of helping to maintain local businesses. This just one example of a brand doing good while doing well by using email to communicate with subscribers tangible ways they can support local businesses.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - One tech startup that moved to Bryan-College Station last year is changing more than just the way local businesses support each other. Nift is a customer sharing network that encourages local companies to send their customers to surrounding businesses they haven’t been to before.

Nift, a Boston-based AI company, has recently launched in College Station, Texas. When a customer uses Nift, they have the opportunity to discover a new local business in their neighborhood. The goal is to get people through the doors of neighborhood businesses and keep them coming back.

After launching in College Station, Texas, Nift is partnering with local businesses to help them welcome and learn more about new customers. "It tells us if you're tracking with new customers or repeat customers so it helps us track and metric. Are we reaching more people or are more people coming to our restaurant for the first time," said May, general manager at Goodbull BBQ.

In addition to Edible Arrangements offering 30% off all items, All Edible stores throughout MA and NH are giving Nift cards to customers, redeemable for a gift at neighboring businesses.

All these e-scooters piling up and moving into cities might be inflating actual demand. Nift, a platform for local businesses to give customers gifts, surveyed 450 customers about scooter-sharing. A little less than 25 percent of respondents said they wanted more scooters in their area, according to the survey released this week.

Elery Pfeffer, CEO and founder of Nift, which uses AI to connect shoppers with merchants, said companies need to tap their local networks while also investing in "experiences." "Digital ads on Google and Facebook drive clicks to your web site, not customers through the door," Pfeffer said. "Building a strong local business ecosystem should rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing, and business-to-business referrals is a powerful way that adds value holistically through sharing your best customers."

The company wants to help entrepreneurs around Boston share their best loyal customers and is betting a $30 gift card will do the trick. Forty-eight percent of Americans are employed by a small business. There are more than 639,000 small companies in Massachusetts. And one Boston-based startup wants you to learn a lot more about them.

Elery Pfeffer, the CEO of local start-up Nift stopped by to explain how his company helps small businesses compete against Amazon.

Boston-based Nift Networks Inc. has raised $16.5 million to expand its new type of customer discount program — one that aims to help local businesses help each other — to cities around the country.

Nift, which is giving local businesses a new way to promote themselves, has raised $16.5 million in Series A funding.
The businesses that work with Nift (the name is short for "neighborhood gift") can give special gift cards to their best customers. Those customers enter their codes on the Nift website, answer a few questions and can then choose from two free gifts from other local businesses.

Chances are, if you're a small business owner in Jamaica Plain, you've referred customers to other small business owners in the area. Let's face it: Small shops simply don't carry every item a customer wants. While this is a loose “partnership,” another way that our business is supporting other local businesses is through Nift. The purpose is simple: Help neighborhood businesses get customers through the door. I now hand out Nift cards as a way to thank my best customers for shopping at my store. But I'm doing more than just thanking them, I'm encouraging them to visit other local businesses that are part of the Nift network. They get a free gift to experience another Jamaica Plain business, and they'll likely tell their friends. The result? More sales from local customers, and more money staying in our neighborhood.

Nift, a Cambridge startup that helps small businesses send customers to each other, has raised $3 million in seed funding. With many small businesses struggling to stay afloat against e-commerce and big-box stores, Nift has created a network for small businesses to send each other new customers.

This weekend brings Small Business Saturday, when local shops bid for holiday dollars not already spent at mall- and chain-heavy Black Friday sales, and two Cambridge startups are supporting the effort. (A marketing effort called Plaid Friday also attempts to subvert Black Friday and send shopping dollars to small stores.)