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Archway Marketing Services Inc. expects to have shipped 450 million gift cards during 2008, more than double the 220 million it shipped in 2007, the company announced today. The company distributes both open- and closed-loop cards to card malls, retailers and restaurants in the United States and Canada. It also provides fulfillment services for some direct-to-consumer programs, Megan Effertz, Archway director of marketing, tells CardLine. Citing confidentiality agreements, she declined to disclose the company's clients. Archway ships about 75% of its gift cards in the fourth quarter, Effertz says. Though a National Retail Federation survey found that gift card purchases were down during Black Friday weekend (CardLine, 12/1), Archway has not experienced any decline in orders, Effertz says. Retailers may be stocking cards in anticipation of future purchases, and consumers may be spreading their purchasing out before and after Black Friday, she surmises. Effertz also notes that Archway has seen an increase in open-loop card purchases, though she declined to provide details.
