For More Profitable Holidays, Check Here! ... more

Ring In Gift Card Sales for the Holidays ... more

Who’s Who at KWI? ... more

Jordache On the Rise ... more

Short Cuts – Fast, Helpful Hints ... more

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Holiday Checklist for Maximum Profits

We ran this checklist last year, and are offering it again as a reminder of how to prepare your business for the Holiday rush, to maximize your sales.

� Extending Holiday hours and staff? Be sure to train new employees on the proper closing procedures.

� Make sure you have an adequate supply of Gift Cards or paper Gift Certificates to carry you through the season.

� Check supply of journal paper and ribbons to assure an ample stock.

Make sure all employees on ringing sales can offer and perform Gift Receipt function.

Do your store policies change for the Holidays? To have this reflected on your customer receipt, please let us know by completing the Project form (if you have not done so already).

Consider increasing the register "float" or amount of cash in the drawer for the peak selling season - most retailers do so.

Set limits for cash in the drawer to enforce moving excess from register to safe throughout the day.

Review store return policy with all sale associates.

Don't let a temporary lapse in Credit Card

Authorization put you out of commission. As a precaution, give store personnel a quick refresher course in the manual process.

On our end ... KWI will increase Help Desk staff to assist you with rapid response during peak selling season.

If there is anything else KWI can do to make 2007 your most prosperous Holiday season ever – please tell us!

HAPPY SELLING

For more information, contact Dan Markowitz at: danny@kwi.com or (516) 621-2400, ext. 305.

Gift Card Sales: A $70 Billion Business!

If you’re not ringing up Gift Card sales, now’s the time to get going. KWI can get you up and running in time for the holiday season. Last year, Gift Card sales topped $70 billion – a very nice chunk of change.

Why do retailers love Gift Cards?

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As many as 60% of recipients spend up to 38% more than the card’s value.

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Shoppers are ten times more likely to buy a plastic card vs. a paper certificate.

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According to the NRF, nearly 75% of consumers bought an average of six Gift Cards in the 2006 holiday season.

We think any retailer who bypasses Gift Cards is missing out big time. Not only do they bring in the lucrative returns noted above … they also help you build customer loyalty and frequency.

KWI’s Electronic Gift Card capability makes it easy for you to get in on the action. If you’re already selling gift certificates, we can make it even easier for you to issue and redeem them right at the point of sale. Implementation is simple and seamless, thanks to our partnership with ProfitPoint.

ProfitPoint is an industry-leading provider of Gift Card solutions designed to meet the demands of today’s competitive marketplace. They serve over 15,000 locations nationwide in a broad variety of retail environments, as well as thousands of web and e-commerce sites. Their philosophy of creating partnerships, not just customers, meshes perfectly with the KWI commitment to extraordinary customer service.

ProfitPoint Gift Cards are swiped just like a credit card, with no multiple transactions necessary. The comprehensive program provides all hardware, software, system integration, database management, analysis and technical support. You’ll find it safe, easy, fast and efficient.

Still not convinced? Consider these additional advantages:

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Customers can buy them, or you can issue them like rewards.

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They enhance your multi-channel marketing - redeemable in-store or on the web.

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You can tie them in to special promotions such as Holiday or Back-To-School.

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You can create special incentives to shop such as double points.

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They appeal to everyone – adults, kids, teens and tweens.

What’s more, Gift Cards keep you visible in your customers’ wallets. Every card you issue is like a little billboard for your store.

P.S. We attach the customer number the moment the Gift Card is purchased and redeemed … giving you valuable CRM info for further relationship building.

To learn more about the KWI Gift Card program, contact Dan Markowitz at: danny@kwi.com or (516) 621-2400, ext. 305.

Meet the Merchant Services Team!

Name: David Drucker

Position: President, KWI Merchant Services

Joined the KWI team: February 2007

Credentials: A 20-year veteran of the mortgage-banking and real estate industry. Founded The Real Estate Funding Center, which was acquired by Sterling National Bank in 1996. Served as President of Sterling National Mortgage Company and Senior Vice President of Sterling National Bancorp. In February 2000, started Realty Data Corp., which was sold in 2005 after growing to national strength as a data provider for the financial services industry.

Most interested in - at work: Building new divisions/companies from the ground up and then surrounding myself with excellent staff members. Also enjoy resolving problems.

Most interested in – at play: Golf, vacationing with my lovely wife Jo-Ann, and beating my friends in “ANY” sport and/or competition.

Personal motto: “Excellence is in the details."

Favorite movie: City Slickers and Caddy Shack

Favorite book: Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

Name: Phyllis Ann Gricco

Position: Director of Operations, KWI Merchant Services

Joined the KWI team: May 2007

Credentials: Over 10 years in Operations and Back Office Management for various industries. Diverse experience in accounting, marketing, employee relations and recruiting. BA in Political Science from Penn State University; MBA from University of Phoenix.

Most interested in - at work: Learning from the best! I enjoy the many different facets of the merchant services industry: from customer relations to detailed analysis. It is a pleasure to come to work each day. I am most excited to be a part of a growing company, and witness first-hand its success.

Most interested in – at play: Cooking with my husband for family and friends.

Personal motto: “Everything happens for a reason.”

Most memorable experience: My honeymoon in Italy

Favorite movie: Gone With The Wind

Jordache Recaptures the Glamour

Remember Jordache, the jeans on everyone’s hips (and the designer name on everyone’s lips) during the late 70’s and 80’s? The brand symbolized by the galloping horse – with an apparently topless woman in tight Jordache jeans riding a horse through the surf? Who could forget that image.

Well, everyone’s favorite jeans are back – and better than ever. Exciting updates such as darker washes, straight legs and premium denim from Japan and Italy make for looks that are out-and-out cool. Embroidered pocket stitching and a look-at-me body conscious fit turn heads like never before.

Jordache originated when brothers Joe, Ralph and Avi Nakash opened a store in New York City that sold brand-name jeans at a discount. In 1978 they entered the jeans manufacturing business, reflecting what they saw in the European denim market, where jeans were more body-conscious and fashion-forward.

In the 1980s, the company expanded its reach with expansive licensing that generated up to $300 million a year in wholesale volume. But the widespread expansion came with a downside as the brand became more mass market oriented during the 1990’s.

Today, Jordache is ready to reclaim its rightful place in the designer denim market. They’re doing so by establishing their own boutiques, with three stores opening this November. As they once again head full-gallop towards retail success, they’ve asked the experts at KWI to provide their store system solutions. We’re proud to be chosen, and ready to

help them take every hurdle in stride.

For more information, contact Dan Markowitz at: danny@kwi.com or (516) 621-2400, ext. 305.

This Month’s Short Cuts

Time-saving tips and ideas that are right on the money – from the staff of KWI.

1. LP Tip of the Month … from Stuart Levine and Kimberlee Woo

Identity Theft – Take It Personally

Here are some things you can do to protect your personal credit assets.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "Photo ID Required."

2. When writing checks to pay credit card accounts, do not write down the complete account number. Put only the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone processing your check won't have access to the full number.

3. Put your work phone on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of each license, credit card, etc. In case of theft, you will know what you had in your wallet., and where to call to cancel your cards.

5. When traveling, carry a photocopy of your passport in a separate, safe place.

6. In case of theft, file a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves your diligence to credit providers, and is a first step toward an investigation.

7. Call the three national credit reporting organizations and Social Security immediately to place a fraud alert on your name. Companies will be alerted to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. The numbers are:

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Equifax: 800-525-6285�

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Experian (formerly TRW): 888-397-3742

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TransUnion : 800-680-7289

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Social Security fraud line: 800-269-0271

Next month, we’ll offer Identity Theft tips to protect your business and your customers.

For more information, contact Kimberlee Woo at: kwoo@zellmangroup.com or (516) 625-0006, ext. 442.

2. CRM Tip of the Month … from Claude Johnson and Jubin Thomas

Up Close and Personal

Many companies throw away increased revenue, simply because they fail to “connect” with the customer. Some retailers spend millions of dollars on training their employees to be more personable with customers, but fail to transfer that mindset when it comes to Direct Mail.

We conducted a case study for a Midwest client who began personalizing mailings with the name of each customer (easily done by printing/mailing houses with the appropriate technology). The personalized mailings increased the response rate to 6%, and upped the average customer spending from $88 to $106. Of course, the client paid a few dollars more for the personalizing technology, but the incremental $2,000 expense generated an incremental $428,870

in sales. That’s putting the personal touch right on a customer’s wallet.

We strongly suggest you take any steps you can to personalize your direct mail communications.

For more information regarding personalizing communications, contact KWI-CRM at: crm@kwi.com or (516) 621-2400, ext. 367.

We also invite you to request a copy of Claude’s new book “Jems from Johnson: A Guide to Successful Customer Relationship Management”.

3. App Facts … from the Application Support Team

Q. Why must I clear Java cache?

A. “Cache” is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access. In the case of KWI Back Office, once a Java application or applet is stored in cache, future use can be made by accessing the cached copy rather than re-fetching or recomputing the original code, so that the average access time is lower. The downside to this is that, since you are accessing a stored executable, you may not always be pulling the most current version of a screen.

Clearing the Java Plug-in cache ensures that the browser loads the latest versions of Java applications and applets.

For more information or assistance with clearing your Java cache, contact Application Support at: appsupport@kwi.com or (516) 621-2400, ext. 359.