Wishcard Technologies Group, Europe’s leading brand for gift vouchers with over 120,000 stores and 100 million produced vouchers, concluded 2023 as the most successful year in the company’s history. Dr. Andreas Betzer, CEO of the Wishcard Technology Group, reviews the key events:
„I am delighted to have had the opportunity to lead Wishcard as CEO, thanks to the entry of Private Equity funds IK Partners and EMZ Partners in Q3/2022. My leadership positions at Miles&More and Payback had already given me familiarity with the market and, of course, the Wishcard products. This provided a solid foundation, which we were able to significantly expand over the last 15 months. I particularly recall the following 5 most important themes:
- Extensive Management Upgrade: We were able to attract exceptional talent to our Executive Management with Nurgül Dekelver (formerly Pro7Sat1, now Head of Finance), Marius Anker (formerly EDEKA, now SVP International), and Florian Pauthner (formerly Warner, now CFO). This entire Executive Management Team and our 170 employees were the foundation of all our success over the 15 months I had the privilege to lead the company.
- Highest Growth Improvement in Company History: While the company had always experienced rapid growth, we were able to enhance the momentum through various activities. The growth from 2022 to 2023 accelerated by nearly 50%, more than ever in the history of the company – with the total growth rate surpassing all relevant voucher companies in Europe. New products, new sales points, improvements in velocity and new local and digital partners were some of the reasons for this.
- Key International Markets UK and France: Wishcard was already active in countries such as Austria and Switzerland. In 2023, we successfully entered and launched operations in the largest markets in Europe: the United Kingdom and France. Both markets have been secured with extensive distribution agreements and, in the case of the UK, already executed digitally and in retail stores like Sainsburys and WH Smiths.
- Increase in Customer Satisfaction: For the first time in 2 years, we were able to further improve customer satisfaction. Measures included the improvement of the technology platform, the restructuring of the Customer Service, and the revision of all Customer Touchpoints and products. No voucher company in Europe has products that are better rated than those of Wishcard.
- Sustainability: In the last year, we were able to convert a significant portion of our vouchers to the newly developed paper/cardboard packaging. The product thus eliminates any plastic packaging. I am proud that the team went the extra mile to translate their commitment to sustainability into action.
My conclusion: Wishcard is an exceptional company that has a ‘Win-Win-Win’ situation as the foundation of its business model. That impresses me every day. The task of further optimizing this foundation and bringing it to further growth motivates us daily. We all look forward to an equally eventful year in 2024; some of the highlights contain:
- Together with our distributors like ICP, epay/transact, Lekkerland, and Incomm, we plan a variety of projects to further increase velocity and drive the number of POS our products are distributed in.
- Co-Developed together with Marc Ehler and the epay team in 2023, we will use our new data-driven approach to even further drive area productivity for our vouchers.
- Further Roll-Out of our products in France and the UK both physically and digitally while even working on expanding the product line and exploring further market expansion with the “international playbook” that has proven to be successful. And there is even more to be announced.
Dr. Andreas Betzer, on behalf of the entire Wishcard team
About WISHCARD™:
WISHCARD™ is a leading provider of innovative gift card solutions, empowering businesses and consumers to celebrate life’s special moments with ease and convenience. With a diverse portfolio of customizable gift card products and a commitment to excellence, WISHCARD™ is revolutionizing the way people give and receive gifts worldwide.