The City of Hercules is proud to announce the new Hercules Community Gift Card, a community-based digital gift card that makes it fun and easy to keep local spending local. Purchase a Community Gift Card E-Card to use at any of the participating shops in the neighborhood. With this card, you can write a personal message and send it to family, friends and colleagues via email, text, or physical copy. Recipients can choose to spend it at one of more than 20 (and growing) participating merchants in Hercules—or mix it up and spend flexibly at multiple locations. All-digital and always available on your phone, the Hercules Community Gift Card is great for birthdays, holidays, teacher appreciation, coach gifts, or just to show your appreciation to a friend. Now you can give back to the community while you celebrate the back-to-school season and upcoming holidays.

Why supporting local businesses is so important

Participating in this program means supporting the heart of what makes our community unique. The purchase of a Hercules Community eGift Card creates a pool of cash that local businesses in the City can rely on. Studies have shown that local independent retailers recirculate 47% of their revenue back into the community, while only 14% of national chains’ revenue stays in the community. More dramatically, restaurants recirculate 73% of their revenue back into the community, versus only 30% for national chains.

By supporting local businesses, more money continues circulating through the local community—this is achieved through a combination of profits paid to local business owners, wages paid to local workers, goods and services procured locally for internal use or resale, and charitable giving within the community. If you’re looking for a way to do some good or want to know how you can help the community you love, send a Hercules Community E-Card today! For more information or to participate as a merchant in the program, please visit the City of Hercules website.

Why local businesses should participate

The City of Hercules and Bayfront Chamber of Commerce invites all eligible businesses to keep customers spending local by signing up to participate in the Shop Hercules E-Card program. The program is designed to benefit small, locally owned bricks-and-mortar businesses; eligible businesses include independently or locally owned for-profit retail, restaurants, and most personal service businesses (excluding local outlets of chains or franchises headquartered outside of Hercules).

To participate in this program and benefit from the additional business, you need to be able to process a key-entry (like a phone order) Mastercard, and you are paid through your credit card bank in your normal settlement, with your normal Mastercard CNP processing fee. There is no cost to you to participate in the program.

Eligible businesses were sent an Activation Card email from our gift card partner, Yiftee, asking you to opt-in to the program. To opt-in, you simply run a 10-cent charge (or your minimum) on a prepaid Mastercard that Yiftee sent you by email (the “Activation Card”); this is your authorization to participate. View Yiftee’s Community Card Merchant Agreement.

About Yiftee

Yiftee (Yiftee.com) is the award winning, no hassle eGift card and promotions solution for local businesses and communities. With no special technology or POS integration, no revenue-share and no special accounting, it’s easy for merchants to offer eGift Cards on their website and Facebook pages. Merchants gain additional sales, foot traffic, and an eGifting capability like big retailers. Consumers, corporations, and merchants use the Yiftee mobile and online website to send thoughtful, unexpected gifts via email, text or print. Recipients pick up their Yiftee gifts using their smartphone at their favorite local restaurants and shops, driving profitable business to those merchants. For more info see Yiftee.com or email info@yiftee.com.