(Direct Newsline) CompUSA may have a cure for triskaidekaphobia—fear of the number 13—at least among small office/home office (SO/HO) owners.

The Dallas retailer has launched CompUSA Network for Business, a loyalty program for the SO/HO market. It awards points at a rate of 13 for every dollar spent.

The points-to-dollars ratio allows the firm to offer a high give-back rate — the value of its prizes are equal to roughly 6% of the total amount spent at CompUSA. This makes Network for Business one of the richest in the business, according to Mark P. Anderson, CompUSA's director of customer loyalty.

Begun Sept. 25, the program features a sweepstakes with a grand prize of $50,000 and "The Ultimate Networking Event," which includes use of a corporate meeting planner and a trip on a private jet to a location of one's choice. Other prizes include American Airlines tickets and 50,000 program points. The sweeps, which was designed to give an early enrollment boost, ends Oct. 23.

Points are only a small part of Network for Business: CompUSA has enhanced it with an array of hard and soft benefits, which reward customers not only with tangible goods such as electronics, hardware and software, but also help make shopping for a small office easier.

For the full story on CompUSA's new program, see the Oct. 1 issue of Direct magazine.

CompUSA may have a cure for triskaidekaphobia