Gift cards are a popular choice for shoppers because they allow the receivers to buy whatever they like, not leaving any room for worrying about choosing the right present. You can’t go wrong with gift cards. They are easy to find, flexible and perfect for last-minute shopping.
More than 80% of shoppers choose to buy gift cards for special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, Christmas, Mother’s & Father’s Day and other significant events. It gets even more convenient for them when they can buy gift cards online from the comfort of their homes.
From a merchant’s perspective, gift certificates are a great marketing tool to raise awareness and grow sales. Gift card programs are easy to implement and affordable. They also provide a great shopping experience for customers and generate more revenue for businesses.
Here are the main benefits of selling gift cards:
- Promote brand awareness
- Help collect useful customer data
- Safe and convenient
- Improve the cash flow
- Easy to manage & distribute
- Increase customer engagement
- Capture more holiday sales
- Lead to larger purchases
- Create marketing possibilities
- Attract new customers
- Complement retention efforts
- They still generate revenue even if they are not used
eGift cards are even trendier than the traditional ones for the simple fact that they can be bought at any time, in a variety of eCommerce shops and can be shared with the receiver very easily. This whole process usually happens in a matter of a few minutes. Pretty convenient, isn’t it?
Online gift cards are also easy to use for recipients. If shared by email, they simply copy and paste the gift certificate code directly on the website when they make a purchase.
Online gift cards are a win-win for everyone.
If you’re not selling gift certificates, start working on a gift card program to gain more customers and boost your sales.
Here are a few tips on how to get started.
How to sell gift cards in your brick-and-mortar store
Your physical store has the flexibility to showcase and promote your gift certificates.
- Create visual displays and promo banners next to the register, in dressing rooms, waiting rooms, pickup counters and even on the window displays.
- Add extra signs if you want to promote eGift cards too.
- Create gift card deals – offer discounts or gifts to customers who purchase gift certificates.
- Work on creative, personalized and bold design for your gift cards.
- Create employee competitions – who sells the most in the shop gets a bonus or other benefits.
How to sell gift certificates online
- Create a special section on your website to promote your gift certificates. Make it easily noticeable – banner, pop-up, landing page, etc.
- Add a clear call to action button in these areas.
- Create a cool and eye-catching design for your gift certificates – don’t be afraid to customize them based on the occasion, business area or audience.
- Promote and sell gift certificates on social media.
- Create contests and giveaways using online gift cards.
- Provide gift certificates without expiration dates.
- Include confirmation of the remaining balance on your website – email or on the confirmation screen.
- Mix them with your products – cross-selling really works! If your customers spend over a certain amount of money, you can offer a gift card as a reward.
- Use eGift cards to reward loyal customers.
- Create BOGO offers using gift cards.
- Use them to drive post-holiday shopping.
- Integrate your gift cards with your POS and inventory system.
Gift certificate programs have a lot of benefits for any business. More and more merchants use these to attract new customers, to boost their sales and promote their brand. The key to being successful at this is to constantly keep up with customer trends and new technologies.
Need more information about how to improve your online shop? Talk to our experts – contact us!
