GiftCardLab.com offers consumers personalized gift cards either by using an established image available on the site or by uploading an image of their own. As long as the image meets some rules regarding logos and propriety, consumers can give gift cards that have pictures of loved ones, pets, family, events, or other images, as well as the recipient's name and a greeting appropriate to the holiday or occasion.

Brian Spring, director of operations for PayJr, explained that the company had moved relatively quickly to get the site up and running, trying to make it in time for the busy Christmas season. It was only partly successful as the site started accepting orders in November but the company didn't have much time to market it completely or draw many sponsors.

Spring said that despite the late start and lack of marketing, the site still managed to sell 20,000 cards through Christmas and that the marketing done had been the kind that companies wanted to see: consumers telling other consumers where to find some new product or service.

Spring reported that the company had a few problems with fulfilling some of the card orders, in part because of the short start-up before Christmas, when the peak pre-Christmas orders were flowing the strongest. "At one point the staff of the card printing firm we had contracted to print the cards had staff pulling cards off the line by hand to ship them by an overnight service to make sure they were there on time," Spring explained.

Part of the delivery headache arose from requirements imposed by the USA Patriot Act on Marshall Bank, the financial institution that actually manages and issues the cards. To comply with the Act, the bank required that any order for cards totaling more than $250 precluded the cards being sent directly to the recipients. Instead, security concerns required the cards to be sent to their purchaser.

This policy slowed the purchase process down because it meant that order fulfillment could not take place by the most efficient route, Spring explained, and it also spawned confusion about where some cards were meant to be sent.

Spring said as many as 300 of the card orders during Christmas went astray and had to either be refunded or arrived late.

Both Walton and Spring reported that GiftCardLab was still at work ironing out problems with the site and would likely make modifications to it, including some that would streamline the delivery process and others to make the ordering process easier as well.

Walton reported that overall the site had been a hit with the members who had used it, many of whom let the CU know how much they appreciated being able to give customized gift cards and said they were pleased with their cards' impact.

"It's another way we could distinguish ourselves in a busy and competitive market," Walton said. "We expect our members will react even more strongly once more have used it."

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