Giftify, Inc. Highlights 2025 Strategic Growth Initiatives for Restaurant.com

Rhea-AI Summary

Giftify (NASDAQ: GIFT), owner of CardCash.com and Restaurant.com, has announced strategic growth initiatives for Restaurant.com, the nation's largest restaurant-focused digital deals platform. The company operates across 184,000 restaurants and retailers, connecting digital consumers, businesses, and communities through dining, retail, and entertainment deals.

Key strategic priorities include: accelerating platform synergies between Restaurant.com and CardCash.com, re-activating past registered users, expanding restaurant networks, increasing platform activity, and ramping up Corporate Incentives programs. CFO Steve Handy highlighted that Restaurant.com previously generated over $50 million in annual revenue and had 10 million registered users under prior management. The company is currently expanding its sales and marketing team to grow its business-to-consumer Corporate Incentives program, which includes initiatives like local car dealerships offering restaurant discounts for test drives.

Positive

• Historical success with $50 million annual revenue and 10 million registered users database
• Large existing network of 184,000 restaurants and retailers
• Expanding sales and marketing team for growth
• Proven success in Corporate Incentives campaign model

Negative

• Current revenue significantly below historical peak of $50 million
• Reliance on reactivating old user base rather than new user acquisition

Insights

Financial Analyst

The strategic initiatives outlined lack concrete financial metrics or specific revenue targets beyond a vague reference to historical $50 million revenue. Without detailed growth projections, capital allocation plans, or specific investment requirements, it's challenging to evaluate the potential return on these initiatives. The mention of hiring additional staff suggests increased operating expenses, but there's no indication of the expected cost structure or timeline for achieving profitability.

The Corporate Incentives program, while promising in concept, needs more substantive data on current performance and scalability metrics. The test drive example indicates a basic understanding of B2B2C models, but fails to address key aspects like customer acquisition costs, conversion rates, or profit margins. For a company with a modest market cap of $27 million, the lack of quantifiable goals and financial benchmarks raises concerns about execution capability.

Market Research Analyst

The strategy to revitalize a dormant user base of 10 million registered users presents both opportunities and significant challenges. Historical engagement doesn't guarantee future success - consumer behavior and the digital deals landscape have evolved dramatically. The company's platform synergy approach between Restaurant.com and CardCash.com needs clearer differentiation in a market saturated with dining deals apps and loyalty programs.

The network of 184,000 restaurants sounds impressive but requires context - what percentage are actively participating? What's the geographic distribution? The Corporate Incentives division's value proposition isn't clearly differentiated from existing marketing solutions available to restaurants. Without specific metrics on current platform engagement rates or customer retention data, these initiatives appear more aspirational than actionically concrete.

SCHAUMBURG, IL, Jan. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giftify, Inc. (NASDAQ: GIFT) (the “Company”), the owner and operator of leading digital platforms, CardCash.com and Restaurant.com, with a focus on incentives and rewards in retail, dining and entertainment experiences, is pleased to provide the following strategic growth initiatives for Restaurant.com, the nation’s largest restaurant-focused digital deals brand.

Restaurant.com and its Corporate Incentives division connect digital consumers, businesses and communities offering thousands of dining, retail and entertainment deals options nationwide at over 184,000 restaurants and retailers. Restaurant.com prides itself on offering the best deal, every meal.

Giftify has identified the following strategic priorities to accelerate growth at Restaurant.com and enhance shareholder value:

• Accelerate platform synergies between Restaurant.com and CardCash.com
• Re-invigorate and re-activated past registered users
• Hiring additional sales and marketing people
• Further expand network of restaurants
• Increase activity of existing restaurants on the platform
• Initiate strategic partnerships to expand network of restaurants and increase activity of existing restaurants on the platform
• Ramp Corporate Incentives programs
• Enhance user engagement via personalized deal recommendations

Steve Handy, Chief Financial Officer of Giftify, Inc., commented, “One of the reasons that attracted me to join the Company as CFO in 2024 is the enormous opportunity with Restaurant.com. In its heyday under prior management, Restaurant.com generated north of $50 million in annual revenue and had a database of 10 million registered users. A major part of our go forward plan is to re-activate that user base.”

Handy, continued, “Our team is focused on the expansion of the Corporate Incentives segment of Restaurant.com. We have proved this model continuously with a highly successful campaign for number of companies. We are in the midst of hiring additional sales and marketing people who will concentrate on growing this business-to-consumer Corporate Incentives program. Think of a local car dealership offering $10 discount to a local restaurant via Restaurant.com for a consumer taking a test drive of a car. We think there is a huge opportunity to accelerate the growth of Restaurant.com.”

About Giftify, Inc.

Giftify, Inc. is a pioneer in the incentive and rewards industry with a focus on retail, dining & entertainment experiences, as the owner and operator of leading digital platforms, CardCash.com and Restaurant.com. CardCash.com is a leading secondary gift card exchange platform, allowing consumers and retailers to realize value by buying and selling gift cards at various scales. Its Restaurant.com is the nation’s largest restaurant-focused digital deals brand. Restaurant.com and our Corporate Incentives division connect digital consumers, businesses and communities offering thousands of dining, retail and entertainment deals options nationwide at over 184,000 restaurants and retailers. Restaurant.com prides itself on offering the best deal, every meal. Our gift cards and restaurant certificates allow customers to save at thousands of restaurants across the country with just a few clicks.

For more information, visit: www.giftifyinc.com and www.cardcash.com and https://www.restaurant.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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Investors Contacts:
IR@giftifyinc.com

FAQ

What are Giftify's (GIFT) main strategic initiatives for Restaurant.com in 2025?

Giftify's strategic initiatives include accelerating platform synergies with CardCash.com, re-activating past users, expanding restaurant networks, increasing platform activity, and growing Corporate Incentives programs.

How many restaurants and retailers are currently in Restaurant.com's network?

Restaurant.com's network includes over 184,000 restaurants and retailers nationwide.

What was Restaurant.com's historical peak revenue before Giftify (GIFT) ownership?

Under prior management, Restaurant.com generated over $50 million in annual revenue and had a database of 10 million registered users.

How is Giftify (GIFT) planning to grow its Corporate Incentives program?

Giftify is hiring additional sales and marketing personnel to expand the business-to-consumer Corporate Incentives program, which includes partnerships like car dealerships offering restaurant discounts for test drives.