Mastercard Advisors Partners With Businesses to Help Them Grow

When consumers are looking to access greater purchasing power, they turn to Mastercard. When businesses are looking for ways to get inside the minds of consumers and leverage growth, they turn to Mastercard Advisors for expertise and proven solutions.

Mastercard Advisors offers businesses of all sizes three distinct services, all with the same goal: scaling businesses and helping them thrive. Their Data & Analytics division works with real-time transaction data and analysis that lets clients make faster and more effective decisions. Their Loyalty Solutions & Marketing Campaigns help businesses design and manage programs that deliver value based on what their customers want. And Mastercard Advisors’ Consulting Services team provides problem-solving expertise that addresses the specific challenges businesses face.

Leveraging Data and Solving Problems

Chris Reid, Executive Vice President of Services at Mastercard North America, says Mastercard Advisors is in a unique position to help businesses scale. “With more than 43 billion transactions processed annually in 210 countries worldwide, Mastercard has unparalleled access to consumer spending insights,” he explains.

By leveraging this aggregated information and offering it to clients along with their expertise and experience, the company is able to help businesses increase both their impact and their return on investment. “We use our unique payments expertise with consultative problem-solving skills, all underpinned by our data, to help clients around the world optimize, streamline and grow their businesses,” says Reid.

Mastercard Advisors is made up of more than a thousand leading experts in over twenty countries. Among them are data analysts and marketers with roots in a wide range of industries. Says Reid, “Our employees are proven problem solvers who offer our clients skills gained from experience. They distill knowledge, experience, and insights from decades of real-world engagements into insights on economic and regional trends, global consumer behavior data, and industry benchmarks and best practices.”

A Hands-On Partner

When working with clients, Mastercard Advisors takes a team approach. Says Reid, “We roll up our sleeves and work with our clients as a seamless partner to execute the plans we devise.” One of the most exciting things their global reach allows them to do is work with developing economies and bring financial opportunities to new spaces. “For example, we worked with the National Bank of Egypt to develop their customer understanding and outreach through data collection and expansion of banking services. Because of our partnership, they have seen a great deal of growth.”

How do they accomplish this? One way is by offering large-scale, sophisticated data analytics that clients can’t access on their own. “Using our data to create hyper-local benchmarks gives executives a clear picture of store performance compared to the surrounding neighborhood and helps them improve decisions on manager rewards and local operations,” Reid explains. But the partnership doesn’t end with data analysis. “We cultivate an ongoing relationship with them and help them with their needs along the way.”

Their work with State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU), one of the largest credit unions in the U.S., “is a great example of how Mastercard Advisors work does not begin and end with a single goal for our clients,” says Reid. Mastercard Advisors initially helped them double their portfolio in a year; now they’re working with them on credit risk diagnostics. “With that growth comes a degree of risk, and we want to help mitigate future issues.”

Clients of All Sizes, From Around the World

Reid says Mastercard Advisors doesn’t have a typical client. “We work with businesses of all types and sizes, from large financial institutions to local banks and credit unions, global retailers to small businesses, and both local and federal governments.”

One example of this is Maxela, a local restaurant in Rome. Reid says Mastercard Advisors provided the owner with daily local market analysis that allowed him to showcase his locally sourced ingredients and stay competitive in a crowded market. “On the other end of the spectrum,” he adds, “we helped Santander with the acquisition of a local savings and loan association.”

Mastercard Advisors was founded with a goal of giving back, says Reid. The company wants to share their payments expertise with the customers who have contributed to their growth and success over the years. “More than 50 percent of our large customers are working with Mastercard Advisors, as well as many small businesses and banks around the world—from the U.S. to Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.”

With several exciting new developments in the works, Mastercard Advisors is on track to help even more businesses realize their potential for growth, across the globe and across all industries.