Online gift cards are more popular than ever. According to a recent report from last year’s holiday shopping season, gift cards ranked in the top three online purchase categories. Sales increased 263% from November 1 to December 9, compared to September of 2021.
But we also know that simply offering gift cards doesn’t mean consumers will purchase them. That’s why we’re constantly working with our customers to make it simple to sell gift cards on their website and find creative and effective ways to promote virtual gift cards.
If you want to sell gift cards online, it’s essential to grab your audience’s attention on your website. Everyone who visits your website should know you offer gift cards. It should also be an easy and seamless experience to purchase them. Here are a few of the most effective tips and tactics we encourage clients to consider when looking for ways to optimize your website for gift card marketing:
- Ensure your website is easy to navigate for customers.
You want to make buying gift cards on your website as easy as possible. That starts by highlighting your gift cards in an easy-to-find location on your site. It also means making sure your website is user-friendly and works well on mobile devices.
- Place your gift card promotions in highly noticeable areas in the main navigation.
Businesses that bury their gift card page at the bottom of their website or make customers click through multiple pages to find them often sell considerably fewer gift cards. Adding a link for your gift cards on the main navigation is an important key. This is particularly relevant for desktop website visitors, as the navigation bar is one of the first places they will naturally look to orient themselves with your website.
- Create pop-ups and banners to promote gift cards and promotions that give customers more bang for their buck.
Beyond adding it to your main navigation, you can also consider pop-ups or banners to promote your gift cards. Pop-ups are a great way to capture attention, especially if you’re running a special promotion. Placing banners on certain product pages can also encourage gift card sales. We often encourage customers to place the banner near the top of the page and use a different color to grab the attention of website visitors.
Promoting gift cards by offering an additional “gift” or bonus is also incredibly valuable. If you’re wondering what kind of extra incentive to offer, it might be helpful to know that 33% of consumers prefer balances added to the card, 28% favor a bonus gift with the purchase of a card, and 24% prefer a free item with their purchase according to the latest study.
- Enable customers to purchase gift cards directly from your website rather than having to use a third-party website.
It can be confusing for customers when they are directed to a website that looks foreign to them. This is why we’ve created gift card solutions that enable customers to sell physical or virtual gift cards online via a secure shopping cart that you can add directly to your website.
- Offer digital gift cards and physical gift cards on your website.
Some consumers are looking for a quick way to send digital gift cards while others are wanting the recipient to receive a physical one. That’s why it’s essential to offer both.
Providing digital gift cards ensures you don’t lose customers once you have done the hard work of drawing them to the page. With no shipping costs, waiting for delivery, or the hassle of having to make a trip to a store, offering a digital option for gift cards is a great way to increase gift card sales.
While the rise of digital gift cards has increased over the years, physical gift cards are still advantageous. One reason for offering physical cards stems from growing concerns around fraud and security. Specifically, only 35% of consumers are bothered by security and fraud issues with physical gift cards, compared to 46% who are concerned about the security of digital cards.
Through our Card Market Pro solution, we’ve created an easy way for businesses to offer physical and digital gift cards for consumers.
- Leverage other marketing channels to drive audiences to your website.
You want to ensure that you’re leading your customers to your website in every digital campaign. There are also creative ways you can leverage email marketing and social media to increase gift card sales. With an established sales funnel, you can direct customers to your website through multiple channels, increasing the chances of making a sale.
Run Compelling Gift Card Campaigns with Card Market
Want to kick off a campaign, but you’re not sure how to begin? Allow us to direct you to the last Gift Card Marketing Guide you’ll ever need. Our guide will walk you through the process of ideating, planning, and implementing a gift card marketing campaign. Download our guide today to get started, or contact us to talk about creating a gift card strategy that can help take your brand to the next level. Meta Description: Card Market explains how to sell more online gift cards from your website through effective gift card promotion.