It’s that time of year again. The holidays are here, and everyone is collectively panicking about those last minute, forgotten gifts. In the flurry of the holiday season, almost everyone falls behind on their gift-giving. Online gift cards are the simplest, quickest way for last-minute shoppers to get caught up.
For retailers, putting online gift cards front and center is the best way to take advantage of this annual procrastination shopping frenzy. Even when stocks are low and shipping is delayed, merchants can make that last-minute sale by offering an online gift card with instant, no-hassle delivery. Here are a few tips to effectively advertise digital gift cards for your business:
Increase Advertising Close to Christmas
Gift card sales peak every year during the 48-hour window before Christmas, and sales remain high for several days after the holiday. This period is also when online searches for gift cards reach their highest mark. Companies should pounce on this spike in interest by saving most of their gift card advertising budget for the days surrounding Christmas. Increasing social media posts promoting digital gift cards during this time will also help drive sales and spread brand awareness.
Create Incentives for Early Season Gift Card Buying
Because digital gift cards cost very little or even nothing to print or stock, promotions that encourage buying many separate gift cards are a cost-effective way to drive more customers to your website. Businesses can offer promotions that give customers one or several low-value gift cards with the purchase of a higher value card. It’s important to remember that sales dollars are just a fraction of the true value that digital gift cards can bring in. Selling more cards—even if they are low-dollar value cards—has more potential to bring new customers to your website and spread brand awareness.
Keep a Digital-First Strategy for Online Gift Cards
Unlike any other product, online gift cards live entirely on the internet with no physical counterpart. Customers may not be aware of your digital gift card offerings unless they see an ad for it somewhere online. For digital gift cards, businesses can use social media ads to target customers or promotional emails. These ads can send gift-buyers directly to a page where they can purchase a digital gift card almost instantly.
Shift Messaging After the Holidays
Once the holidays are over, merchants should shift all advertising from targeting gift-givers to targeting those who received gift cards. Most people using gift cards are making purchases for themselves, so messages about self-care and treating yourself are particularly popular. Businesses should focus on creating a retail or restaurant experience that will keep customers returning to their websites, ultimately growing their customer base.
Ready to Put Your Gift Card Advertising in Lights?
We can help you add virtual gift cards to your current website so that you can start cashing in on the last-minute gift-buying wave. Get started today by scheduling a consultation!