Alliance Data Systems Corporation (ADSC) is a provider of data-driven and transaction-based marketing and customer loyalty solutions. The Company offers a portfolio of integrated outsourced marketing solutions, including customer loyalty programs, database marketing services, marketing strategy consulting, analytics and creative services, permission-based e-mail marketing and private label retail credit card programs. ADSC focuses on facilitating and managing interactions between its clients and their customers through multiple distribution channels, including in-store, catalogs, online, mail and telephone. The Company operates in four business segments: Loyalty Services, Epsilon Marketing Services, Private Label Services and Private Label Credit. In November 2009, Charming Shoppes, Inc. completed the sale of its credit card receivables programs to the Company.
Loyalty Services
Loyalty Services clients are focused on targeting, acquiring and retaining loyal and profitable customers. The Company use the information gathered through its loyalty programs to help its clients design and implement effective marketing programs. Its clients within this segment include, among others, financial services providers, supermarkets, petroleum retailers, specialty retailers and pharmaceutical companies. The AIR MILES Reward Program enables consumers to earn AIR MILES reward miles as they shop across a range of retailers and other sponsors participating in the AIR MILES Reward Program.
Epsilon Marketing Services
The Company’s Epsilon business provides integrated direct marketing solutions that combine consulting and creative services, data services, database services, analytical services and interactive delivery services. Epsilon has over 500 clients, primarily in the financial services, specialty retail, hospitality and pharmaceutical end-markets. The Company offers customer management and loyalty solutions by using data, database technologies, analytics and delivery platforms to maximize the value and loyalty of its clients’ customers and assist its clients in acquiring new customers.
The Company provides behavior-based, demographic and attitudinal segmentation, acquisition, attrition, cross-sell and up-sell, retention, loyalty and value predictive modeling, and program evaluation, testing and measurement across its integrated marketing services. ASDC provides consulting services that analyze its client’s business, brand and/or product strategy to create customer campaigns and sales channel strategies and tactics designed to further optimize its clients’ customer relationships and marketing return on investment. The Company provides various data services to marketing decisions. The Company provides design and management of outsourced loyalty programs, integrated marketing databases, customer and prospect data integration and data hygiene, campaign management and marketing application integration and web design and development. ASDC provides strategic, permission-based email communication solutions and marketing technologies.
Private Label Services
Private Label Services segment assists some of the retailers in extending their brand with a private label and/or co-brand credit account that can be used by customers at the clients’ store locations, or through on-line or catalog purchases. This segment performs processing services for its Private Label Credit segment in connection with that segment’s private label credit and co-brand programs. These inter-segment services accounted for approximately 97.1% of Private Label Services’ revenue for the year ended December 31, 2008.
The Company uses automated technology for bill preparation, printing and mailing, and also offer consumers the ability to view, print and pay their bills on-line. The Company also provides collection activities on delinquent accounts to support its private label and co-brand credit programs.
Private Label Credit
Private Label Credit segment provides risk management solutions, account origination and funding services for its more than 100 private label and co-brand retail credit programs. The Company has used a securitization program as its primary funding vehicle for retail credit receivables. Securitizations involve the packaging and selling of both current and future receivable balances of credit accounts to a special purpose entity that then sells them to a master trust. As of December 31, 2008, Limited Brands accounted for approximately 18.8% of the receivables in the trust portfolio.
