The Axxess Card Acquired by Local Marketing Technology Company Twism

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New name, same great deals — and more. Santa Barbara-based marketing technology company Twism has acquired Axxess, the popular local savings program. The sale, completed last month, signals the start of the new relationship with local merchants and customers.
“We are delighted to continue — and to enhance — the valuable impact of Axxess on our local
community,” said Megan Hilton, Twism’s director of operations. She joins Twism after serving
in the same role at Axxess.

For participating customers, the switch to Twism brings an enhanced shopping experience with
seamless savings and rewards. No more keeping track of coupons and punch cards: Signing up via the free, secure Twism app grants access to a network of merchants — including those in the former Axxess card program — ready to reward local shoppers. The app keeps tabs on all savings and rewards for the shopper in a SuperWallet, and activating those benefits is as easy as swiping a credit or debit card. All legacy Axxess coupons are now on Twism, so existing Axxess members can continue to enjoy the shopping perks that were part of the Axxess program.

For businesses, rewarding loyalty and maintaining a satisfied customer base just became much
easier. The Twism program simplifies all the stamps, points and coupons into a single digital
coin that is branded to each merchant. These coins can be awarded by the merchant
automatically through the Twism app, eliminating confusion at the checkout counter, and
minimizing the effort and time needed to set up and maintain a loyalty program. In addition, the
versatility of the digital coins allows them to function as gift cards that can be traded between
participating customers.

Being part of the Twism network enables merchants to share information and to stay in touch
with current and potential customers, providing deals and special offers. The program is scalable and suitable for both online and brick-and-mortar businesses, or any combination of the two.

Merchants who were part of Axxess are automatically part of Twism. “Twism revolutionizes the way merchants reward and interact with their customers,” Hilton said. “We’re excited to bring this opportunity to Axxess users and to the community.” Founded by Karim Kaderali more than two decades ago, Axxess is well known for marketing local businesses, helping to generate customer loyalty, and delivering savings for Axxess members.

TWISM Fact Sheet
Prospering businesses and happy customers.

Benefits for Consumers

• No more loyalty cards! One easy sign-up connects customers to every participating business worldwide.
• Loyalty rewards are awarded instantly at credit card purchases.
• The free Twism SuperWallet phone app contains all current deals and reward coins. Convenient. Easy. Paperless.
• All legacy Axxess Card coupons are contained in the SuperWallet.
• Reward balances are available anytime in the SuperWallet.
• Digital reward coins can be sent to family and friends instantly with the tap of a button.
• The Twism SuperWallet phone app is free to consumers.

Benefits for Businesses

• Twism enables every business to provide more of the digital marketing and customer loyalty tools that only the top companies such as Amazon or Starbucks are currently providing.
• Twism provides a powerful suite of state-of-the-art capabilities to every business of every type and size.
• Every business has its own branded digital currency to use in rewarding its customers.
• Each business branded coin is valued at $1 of goods or services.
• Twism links to credit card transactions to provide comprehensive and real-time transaction history.
• At any time, a business can broadcast special deals to customers or instantly reward customers as they make purchases. These same tools can be used to attract new customers.
• Customers become a powerful network of advocates by sharing rewards and information with others.
• Everything is easily and flexibly managed using the Twism account dashboard.
• No special point of sales equipment required.
• If a business accepts credit cards it is ready for the power of Twism.